The country's first elevated expressway will be opened for traffic in September this year to ease traffic congestion in the capital Dhaka, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Saturday.
He said, "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the country's first ever elevated expressway in September this year to reduce traffic congestion in Dhaka".
The minister said this after inspecting the construction work of Dhaka Elevated Expressway in Kawla area, adjacent to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in capital Dhaka.
He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the Airport-Farmgate section of the now under-construction Dhaka Elevated Expressway in September.
"Once the entire work of this expressway is completed, traffic congestion in Dhaka city will reduce to a large extent. It will also have a positive impact on (the country's) economy," he added.
Noting that the expressway is being completed in three phases, the road transport minister said that around 97 percent work of the first section up to city's Banani and 54 percent work from Banani to Moghbazar section have been completed.
On the other hand, visible work has started on the last part from Moghbazar to Kutubkhali, he added.
Quader informed that 63 percent of the total work of this project has been completed so far.
"Once the entire project is completed, the expressway will connect the capital with the Dhaka-Chattogram highway (Kutubkhali)," he said.
The minister said that in the first phase of the physical work of the project, about 1482 piles, 326 pile caps, 325 columns, 325 cross beams and 3,048 eye girders have been completed.
"The progress of this physical work is 97.28 percent," Quader said.
The minister said that in the second phase of the physical work of the project, 1,633 piles, 335 pile caps, 323 columns, 320 cross beams, 2,305 eye girders have been constructed.
"The progress of this physical work is 54.22 percent," he added.