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86pc construction work on Bangabandhu tunnel done


Published : 29 Jun 2022 09:45 PM | Updated : 29 Jun 2022 09:45 PM

Construction of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel is progressing at a fast pace.  This tunnel of dreams of millions of people in Chattogram region is almost ready.  Construction of infrastructure including tubes or tunnels, connecting roads is completed.  Work is now underway to make the tunnel roads and lanes suitable for vehicular traffic.  As of May this year, the progress of this mega project is 86 percent.  As a result, the tunnel constructed at a cost of Tk 10,374 crore will be opened to traffic before the scheduled time next December.  It will be the first Bangladesh and the first and longest road tunnel under the river in South Asia.

The opening of this tunnel will revolutionize the road communication system in this region.  The tunnel will connect the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highway with the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, the lifeline of the country's economy.  Due to the tunnel, a bridge will be built between the commercial capital of the country and the port city of South Chattogram.  

Urbanization, industrialization and port activities will be expanded on the south bank of Karnafuli river.  An industrial corridor will be set up from Bangabandhu Industrial City in Mirsarai to Teknaf in Cox's Bazar.  After the deep sea port at Matarbari, vehicles will be able to move easily through this tunnel through Chattogram.

City Outer Ring Road has already been launched.  Construction of elevated expressway from the airport to Lalkhan Bazar is also in progress.  Vehicles going to Cox's Bazar and South Chattogram from different parts of the country including Dhaka will no longer have to enter the metropolis once the Karnafhuli tunnel starts operating.  The city will be able to reach the destination in the fastest time through the tunnel via the Outer Ring Road.  This will reduce the traffic congestion in Chattogram city.

Project officials said the complex work of the project is over.  Now some technical work is going on.  There is no such challenge.  As a result, the work of the project is progressing fast.  The total length of the tunnel is 3.32 km.  The length of each tunnel in the tunnel is 2.45 km.  There are four lanes in two tunnels.  There are 5.35 km connecting roads to the west and east with the main tunnel.  There is a 727 meter long flyover at the end of Anwara.  The first tunnel excavation took 17 months.  The second tunnel was built in just 10 months.  Two tunnels have been made at a depth of 18-31 meter.  Each 35 feet wide and 16 feet high.  The tunnel, which starts next to the Patenga Naval Academy on the metropolitan side, will reach the southern end through the space between CUFL on the Anwara side and Kafco.

Project Director Harunur Rashid Chowdhury said on Wednesday that the construction of infrastructure in the tunnel has been completed.  Now some technical work including construction of inner lane is going on.  

He said all efforts are being made to complete the work by December.The only exception is the Karnafhuli tunnel project, which has increased the cost of mega projects in the country.  The time and cost of this project has not increased at all.  The project cost from the beginning was estimated at Tk 10,374 crore.  The time is set for December 2022.  Project stakeholders hope that the project can be completed within the stipulated budget and ahead of schedule.

Although the Chattogram metropolis is economically advanced due to the country's major seaports, Anwara remains neglected on the other side of Karnafhuli.  The port did not expand across the Karnafhuli river due to lack of road connectivity.  The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel Construction Project was undertaken to build a ‘One City Two Town' in the style of Shanghai, China on the banks of the Karnafhuli River.

South of the river Anwara has CUFL, Kafco, Korean EPZ, proposed China EPZ, Parky Beach.  After crossing Karnafhuli, one has to go through Anwara to Cox's Bazar, Banshkhali and Matarbari power stations and Matarbari deep seaport.  The mega project fleet around Matarbari, on the other hand, is aimed at connecting the Chattogram Port Bay-terminal and the Bangabandhu Industrial City built over a large area of Mirsarai and Sonagazi in Feni.

The contract for the construction of the tunnel was signed on November 24, 2015.  Earlier in 2014, a memorandum of understanding was signed between Bangladesh and China at the government level for the implementation of the project.  The Chinese government nominated China Communication and Construction Company Limited, a Chinese company to build the tunnel.  After completion of design and other works, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction of the tunnel from Patenga end on February 24, 2019.  Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the project on October 14, 2016.

The project director said that the work is going to be completed ahead of schedule as almost all the construction work is machine dependent.  If it is launched, there will be huge positive changes in the development, investment, industrialization, tourism and housing sectors in the greater Chattogram region including the port city.