Advisory: With photo
Dhaka, March 22 (BDNEWS) – The much-awaited Khilgaon fly-over will be opened Wednesday. Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia will formally inaugurate the fly-over.
Sources in the LGED project said, the fly-over which is nearly 2 km long cost nearly Tk 82 crore. Initially the cost was estimated at Tk 74 crore 50 lakh. The construction of the fly-over has taken almost four years. The then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the first ever fly-over of the country on June 2, 2001. But the actual construction work began on June 15 of the same year.
The fly-over was supposed to be completed in February, 2003. Later the budget and the original design were changed and the construction work began afresh.
The total length of the fly-over is 1.899 km and its width is 14 metres. The length of the main bridge is 788 metres. Of this the length of the Rajarbagh section is 222 metres, that of Malibagh section 202 metres and that of Sayedabad 220 metres.
A total of 586 piles of 15.30 metres in length and 610 to 900 millimetres in diameter have been used. In addition, there are 101 loops in the fly-over the full length of which is 477 metres.
The project director Haidar Ali told BDNEWS that when put into operation the fly-over will facilitate the transportation between the commercial area an Sabujbagh, Madartek, Kadamtali, Basabo, Rajarbagh, Sipahibagh, Meradia, Goran etc. of south-east Dhaka.
He also said, the fly-over will ease the traffic congestion in the capital.
Meanwhile, the Awami League leaders are saying that the Mohakhali fly-over was opened in a haste in stead of inaugurating the Khilgaon fly-over for political reasons. Besides, the change in the original design will deprive the people of Khilgaon of the facility of the fly-over.
BDNEWS/1705 hrs