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The Dhaka Bypass Expressway project, designed to connect national highways N1, N2, N3, and N4 in Bangladesh, is expected to be operational in July next year, with over 65 per cent of the construction already completed.
This 48-kilometre expressway from Joydebpur to Madanpur aims to provide uninterrupted travel, effectively bypassing Dhaka city.
The progress was disclosed at the Media Public Day organised by Sichuan Road and Bridge (Group) Co, Ltd (SRBG) at the CCULB Resort and Convention Hall in Gazipur on Thursday evening, according to a press release.
The event showcased ongoing construction activities, including a visit to the pavement construction work at the K12 railway overpass, known as the Mirer Bazar Flyover.
The expressway is being developed under the first Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project of the Department of Roads and Highways.
A consortium consisting of SRBG, Shamim Enterprises Limited (SEL), and UDC Construction Limited (UDC) is spearheading the project, with financial consultancy from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The Joydebpur-Debgram-Bhulta-Madanpur Road (Dhaka Bypass) PPP project involves transforming the existing two-lane road into a four-lane expressway with additional service lanes on both sides. Despite the total project cost of Tk 35 billion, the expressway is scheduled for completion in July 2025.
Upon completion, the expressway will facilitate smoother travel for buses, trucks, and other vehicles between the northern and western regions to the southern and eastern regions without entering Dhaka, significantly alleviating congestion. However, it will be a toll road.
Xao Zhiming, CEO of Dhaka Bypass Expressway Development Company Limited (DBEDC), said the project's significance lies in providing safer, more comfortable, and convenient travel, improving Dhaka's traffic network, reducing congestion, and fostering local economic development.
Listed as a practical cooperation project under the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, this endeavour exemplifies robust China-Bangladesh collaboration.
Yang Jianshi, Vice President of the Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh, underscored the extensive cooperation between China and Bangladesh under the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Bangladesh-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor.
The event was also attended by Wu Qiudong, Vice President of the Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB), Md Shafiqul Islam Akand, COO of Dhaka Bypass Expressway Development Company Limited, and its General Managers Xi Bo and Yang Xu, among others.
With 65 per cent of the project completed since the contract period began on May 15, 2022, the expressway promises to reduce travel time from Gazipur to Mandanpur significantly, from two hours to just half an hour upon its full operation in 2025.