7 flyovers on Dhaka-Gazipur route open to traffic ahead of Eid

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Quader inaugurates the structures to ensure smooth journeys during the Eid holidays

The government has opened seven new flyovers along the Dhaka-Gazipur route with the aim of ensuring smooth homebound journeys for Eid-ul-Fitr holidaymakers.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader virtually inaugurated the structures, part of the Bus Rapid Transit project, on Sunday.

"With the opening of these seven flyovers ahead of Eid, we are offering a gift to the homebound passengers from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," Quader said.

Quader also highlighted measures taken to facilitate smooth Eid journeys, including a halt on truck and cover van movements around the holidays.

Admitting delays and some incidents during the construction phase, Quader noted that the Bus Rapid Transit project is close to completion.

"We hope to introduce bus services within this year. All supplementary tasks are finished, with the project's overall progress at 91 percent. We aim to complete the remaining work by December, allowing buses to operate along the Bus Rapid Transit corridor," he said.

The flyovers opened to traffic on Sunday. These are the Airport Flyover (Left Side), Airport Flyover (Right Side), Jasimuddin Flyover, U-Turn-1 Gazipura Flyover, U-Turn-2 Open University Flyover, Gazipur Bhogra Flyover and Gazipur Chowrasta Flyover.

After the Asian Development Bank's preliminary feasibility study in 2011, the ECNEC approved the BRT project on Dec 1, 2012. The project was initially slated for completion in December 2016 at a projected cost of around Tk 20.4 billion.

However, the project saw several extensions and budget adjustments, leading to a final cost of over Tk 42.68 billion and a shortened route from Gazipur's Chandna intersection to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.

The BRT project aims to alleviate traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, allowing 25,000 passengers to travel through 100 articulated buses per hour.

Construction has involved three Chinese firms – China Gezhouba Group Corporation, Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Group, and Weihai International Economic and Technical Cooperative – alongside the local Cell-UDC company, responsible for building the BRT depot in Gazipur.