The
Roads and Highway Department of the Government of Bangladeshhas signed a deal
with a Chinese contracting firm named Gezhouba Group Co Ltd to build Bus Rapid
Transit (BRT) from the Shahjalaj International Airport to Gazipur Chourasta.
Gazuhuba Group will construct a separate 16 kilometers long road for separate BRT
lanes. And also 32 kilometers sidewalks beside this road and different lanes
for slow transport (specially three wheelers) will be build under this project.
The
estimated cost for the project will be around BDT Two Thousand crores for total
50 kilometers. The government is hopeful of completion of the project within 30
months after starting. The BRT will be introducing in the country for resolving
traffic congestions in Dhaka city which will transport 25 thousand of passengers
per hour both side. Chief Engineer of Roads and Highway department Mr. Ibn Alam
Hasan and the Managing Director of Gazuhuba Group Mr. Yang Roman signed the BRT
construction agreement on behalf of the RHD on December 2016.
Road
Transport and Traffic Minister Obaidul Quader, Liberation War Affairs Minister
AKM Mozammel Haque, MP Zahid Ahsan Russell and Naimur Rahman Durjoy, Secretary
of Road Transport and Highway Department MAN Siddique, Commercial
Representative of Bangladesh Branch Mr. Lui Jianfeng of the Chinese construction
company, General Manager Hu Kili Project-related officials were present in the
signing ceremony.
Highlighted
the various aspects of the BRT project:
- The total length of the project's main corridor will be 20.50 kilometers.
- Four kilometers from Uttara to Tongi will be fully Elevated BRT Lane and the remaining 16 kilometers will be on the ground
- Six flyovers will be built under the project from Airport to Gazipur
- Both ends will have two terminals at Gazipur and at the Airport
- Between the two terminals, 25 stations will be built for the passengers to move
- Buses will ply one by one in every two to five minutes from the stations
- From the Airport to Gazipur or Gazipur to the Airport it will take around 50 minutes
- In the passenger transport, this road will have 100 articulated buses of 18 meters long
- Passengers will be able to pay the fares using electronic smart-cards.
The
BRT project is divided in two faces. One from Gazipur’s Shibbari to Dhaka’s
Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and the other from the Dhaka Airport to
Keraniganj. The plan for the Airport - Keraniganj route is still incomplete.
Besides,
a new eight lane Tongi bridge, 32 kilometer pavement and a bus depot in Gazipur
will be built under this project. Project Director said the transit of BRT from
Gazipur to Shahjalal Airport will be easy with the city of Tongi and Uttara
with the passage of Dhaka city. Passengers will be able to passes easily as
well as ensure comfortable service. The project will cost around Taka two
thousand and Forty crores.
In
addition to the government, the Asian Development Bank, French Development
Organization and Global Environmental Facility are financing in this exclusive project.
According to the agreement, the construction company will work for the
remaining 16 kilometers without the Tongi flyover at the cost of around 855
crore taka.
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