The much-awaited Dhaka Elevated Expressway – one of the mega infrastructure projects implemented by the current government – is set to open today with big hopes of easing Dhaka’s traffic congestion and commuting costs by reducing travel time to a great extent.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Kawla-Farmgate section of the elevated expressway, Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader had said.
The Dhaka Elevated Expressway will be open to traffic from 6 am tomorrow.
The authorities have set the speed limit at 60 km while motorbikes and bicycles will not be allowed on the expressway.
Once opened, it will take 10 minutes for a vehicle with a speed of up to 60km per hour to reach Farmgate from Kawla.
About 80,000 vehicles will be able to pass through the Dhaka Elevated Expressway every day, project officials say.
As per project details, the first contract was signed on January 19, 2011 and the reviewed agreement was signed on December 15, 2013, and the project completion period was from July 2011 to June 2024.
The total length of the elevated expressway is 46.73 km including 19.73 km of the main elevated part.
The Dhaka Elevated Expressway will cover Kawla, Kuril, Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Kamalapur, Sayedabad, Jatrabari to Qutubkhali on Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Vehicles plying on Dhaka Elevated Expressway will have to pay tolls, which will be collected in four categories.
The elevated expressway will serve as an alternative north-south route. It will connect Hemayetpur-Kadamtali-Nimtoli-Sirajdikhan-Madanganj-Dhaka-Chattogram Highway-Madanpur directly.
On the other hand, vehicles from the south-western region and the eastern region of the country will be able to enter the north-western region directly without entering Dhaka thanks to the Elevated Expressway – reducing travel time and traffic congestion within the capital city.
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