Roads and Highways Department goes for yet a fresh project on 1,711-km highways

The government has taken a move to conduct feasibility studies on 1,711-kilometre national and regional highways for making those four-lane ones.

According to sources, the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is taking up the fresh project although construction work of two-thirds of its previously studied arteries is yet to start.

The RHD had earlier completed feasibility studies and detailed designs of 1,752km national highways in the first phase and 590km in the second phase under two technical assistance projects of Asian Development Bank (ADB).

However, only the 55km Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga corridor, with extensive changes in the design done at the study level, could be made ready for traffic movement, sources said.

They said that of the first phase project, only around 260km reached the construction stage for developing those into four-lane ones with service lanes from Joydevpur to Hatikamrul. The design of the entire road needed to be changed due to some loopholes in the studies and detailed design.

Transport experts, including engineers, said the faulty study and detailed design as well as significant gap between the study

and investment also caused delays in construction, more than doubling the cost.

The RHD officials, however, said the third phase study has been taken mainly to ensure smooth connectivity with the land and sea ports, and for integration of the road, rail and waterways.

They said that as the country's regional connectivity has been gaining importance in recent years in the wake of graduation from the least developed country status, the government felt the necessity to conduct the study.

However, a senior official said that most of the previously studied roads remained under funding stages as negotiations started with different development partners.

According to the RHD record, funding for the Bhanga-Jessore-Benapole road is now under negotiation with the Indian Line of Credit, Bonpara-Kushtia-Jhenidah with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, Chattogram Port Access Road and Rangpur-Banglabandha road with ADB and Sylhet-Charkhai-Shewla road with the World Bank.

The Pagla-Peerdalia-Borokhara road is under ADB funded SASEC 3 project.

Besides, Dhaka-Sylhet and Sylhet-Tamabil highways development work has been delayed for six years due to failure in negotiations with a Chinese company. Finally, the Dhaka-Sylhet road is being funded by the ADB and Sylhet-Tamabil by the WB.

"Five routes under the second phase project will soon go to the investment stage," said one official, preferring not to be named. He said the Nabinagar-Paturia road is yet to get any funds.

The RHD officials said under the third phase, study on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway will also be done to make it more vibrant.

The roads to be studied include Mongla Port connecting road, Khustia-Alamdanga-Chuadanga-Darshana to connect with Darshana land port.

Other roads are: Mongla-Payra port connecting road through Barishal-Jhalokathi-Bekutia-Pirojpur-Bagerhat, Barishal-Chattogram road through Barishal-Bhola-Lakshmipur, Mongla-Chattogram port connectivity road through Madaripur-Shariatpur-Chandpur-Lakshmipur-Begumganj road and Shariatpur to Padma Bridge link road and Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet alternate alignment through Bhulta-Araihazar-Bancharampur-Nabinagar-Radhika-Bancharampur-Muradnagar-Companiganj road.

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