Tk 118 billion Elenga-Rangpur 4-lane highway project gets ECNEC green light

A Tk 118 billion project to upgrade the two-lane North-bound highway to Rangpur from Tangail's Elenga to a four-lane one has got the government clearance.

The project was a longstanding demand of the people of the northern region and marks the beginning of Bangladesh’s contribution to the second phase of South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) projects, government officials said.

The project will serve as a vital step towards upgrading of transport infrastructure with Nepal, India and Bhutan.

The “SASEC Road Link Project-11: Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur Highway Four-Lane Upgradation” project received the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) nod at its weekly meeting in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had chaired the meeting.

Briefing the press later, Planning Minister AKM Mustafa Kamal said that the Asian Development Bank would loan Tk 93.39 billion while the remaining Tk 25.41 billion would be provided by the government.

Once completed, the project would ease communication between Dhaka and Rangpur, increase traffic movement along the route and make travels to India and Bhutan easy, he said.

The minister said the project was being expedited for SASEC Corridors 4 and 9.

Currently, 12,000 to 19,000 vehicles ply daily between North Bengal and Dhaka, says the project proposal. The number is expected to shoot up to 43,000 by 2021.

The proposal states that the upgrading has been planned in anticipation of the surge in traffic movement along the road in the near future.

Separate lanes for slow-moving vehicles will be constructed along the highway under this project.

Flyovers will be built at three major points, and each of the flyovers will be more than 2.5 kilometres long.

Planning Division Secretary Tariqul Islam said the project would be completed through 11 packages. Total 32 bridges and 116 culverts will be built.

Including the one on Elenga-Rangpur highway, seven projects worth a total cost of Tk 128.94 billion were cleared by the ECNEC on Tuesday.

The six others are:

>> Meteorological radar development of Dhaka and Rangpur with more than Tk 2.08 billion.

>> Establishment of the Innovation and Entrepreneurs Development Academy at a cost of over Tk 2.29 billion.

>> Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) electrical commodity production and establishment of light engineering industrial estate costing more than Tk 2.13 billion.

>> BSCIC industrial estate at Raozan with Tk 790 million.

>> Construction of link road from Sirajuddoula Road to Shah Amanat Bridge (Bakolia Access) with Tk 2.5 billion.

>> Re-Excavation of Bhodra and Salta rivers to solve water logging problems of Khulna district with Tk 760 million.