For thousands of commuters, the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway has become synonymous with suffering. The journey from Sylhet to Dhaka, which once took considerably less time, now stretches to nearly 10 hours. Ongoing expansion works have turned the 209-kilometre route into a bottleneck, with traffic congestion a daily ordeal.
The project, officially titled the SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project, began in 2021 and was originally scheduled for completion in 2026. However, land acquisition delays have stalled progress. To date, only 15 per cent of the required land has been acquired, leaving 85 per cent still pending.
Project Director Fazlul Karim informed journalists after a recent ministry meeting that unless the remaining land is handed over by mid-2026, the project cannot be completed before 2028. “The construction is stuck solely due to land complications,” he said. “Contractors and workers are waiting, but without land, no progress can be made.”
The project requires 829.83 acres of land across seven districts. As of this month, only around 100 acres have been secured. The estimated project cost is Tk 17,000 crore. Of this, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing Tk 13,244.69 crore, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is contributing Tk 2,970.55 crore, while the Government of Bangladesh is funding the remainder.
According to officials, the project includes construction of 66 bridges, of which 60 are already underway, and 305 culverts, with work on more than 200 nearing completion. Several flyovers and service lanes on both sides of the highway are also part of the plan. Modified bitumen will be used to ensure durability of the upgraded road.
A review meeting was held last week at the office of Road Transport and Bridges Ministry adviser Faozul Kabir Khan, where officials admitted that land acquisition was the main stumbling block. The ministry has since instructed deputy commissioners of the relevant districts to speed up the process.
Following the meeting, Sylhet Deputy Commissioner (DC) Sarowar Alam inspected the Osmaninagar section of the highway on Saturday afternoon. He visited several locations, including the Haji Mashhud Ali Model Filling Station, to check whether private establishments were encroaching on government land. He directed the Osmaninagar Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) to immediately remove a nearby confectionery shop occupying state-owned land.
The DC also visited Dayamir and Tajpur unions, where he emphasised keeping allocated spaces free of illegal occupation to maintain progress on the six-lane expansion. Speaking to the media, Osmaninagar UNO Zainal Abedin said, “The Deputy Commissioner has given clear guidance to accelerate land acquisition and remove illegal structures. We are taking action accordingly.”
The delay has caused frustration among contractors and the travelling public alike. With traffic snarls worsening daily, pressure is mounting on the authorities to resolve the land issues quickly and push forward with construction.
If land acquisition is finalised by mid-2026, officials say the long-awaited six-lane Dhaka-Sylhet Highway could finally be completed by 2028, two years later than planned. Until then, commuters must endure the gridlock, with hope that relief is eventually on the way.
