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The tenure of Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur highway four-lane project is set for extension for two more years for failing to ready the entire regional corridor by December 2024.
Although the four-lane widening work, and two-lane service road will be completed by December, officials say, major work of two flyovers and an interchange will not be done by then.
The project tenure will need to be extended till 2026 along with the defect liability period.
However, among these incomplete works, according to sources, the construction of Gobindaganj flyover is yet to start for not getting required land from the Gaibandha deputy commissioner's office.
Due to the reason, project office has started revising the development project proposal (DPP) of Tk 190.16 billion project called 'South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation-II (SASEC-II)' without raising the cost.
However, the DPP, since first approved in September 2016, was revised in 2020 and in 2021 for land acquisition cost escalation and failing to start construction till 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
The project cost and time were extended twice to Tk 166.62 billion in 2020 and 2021 from the original Tk 118.99 billion.
Finally, the cost was increased to Tk 190.16 billion after the last revision in November 2022.
Project director Dr Waliur Rahman says project tenure needs to be extended to complete Elenga and Gobindaganj flyovers and Hatikumrul interchange as land acquisition for the works took time.
These components were incorporated into the project late.
"Progress in the project is now satisfactory as 73-per cent work in total was done. But the delay in the construction of flyovers and interchange was due to not getting the land in time," he told the FE.
The project office recorded 30-per cent progress in the Hatikumrul interchange and Elenga flyover till February 2023.
But Dr Rahman said the highway would be opened to traffic soon after the four-lane work would be completed by December.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has taken the SASEC-II project to widen the 190.2-kilometre road from Elenga to Rangpur.
It is the second phase of the SASEC-I project that widened two-lane highway from Tangail to Elenga into four lanes as part of developing the regional corridor under Asian Highway, SASEC corridor and SAARC corridor.
The project, however, suffered since its inception due to tender-related complication, a delay in starting the work following coronavirus and other ancillary crises.
Project officials said the Ukraine war also caused a delay as it kept suspending shipment of huge stones for the project via sea route.
Like other projects, the SASEC-II also could not get its due land demand in time as it had to deal with four districts to complete the acquisition work.
The SASEC-II project required 326 hectares of land in Sirajganj, Bogura, Gaibandha and Rangpur districts.
Dr Rahman said the project could not meet the tenure as many new components, including toll plaza at three points and axle-load stations, have been incorporated in the project later to turn the corridor almost access control and toll-operated highway.
He, however, claimed people could move from Dhaka to Rangpur in four hours upon completion of the work.