Bangladesh opened a new horizon in hassle-free road communication on Saturday when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first-ever underwater tunnel amid festivities.
The 3.32km tunnel named after Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman runs under the Karnaphuli River making another dream project into a reality.
The tunnel, also the first of its kind in South Asia, promises to fast-track the country’s road connectivity, spur the economy and promote tourism. It has two tubes and four lanes.
The people of the port city and the southern region greeted the opening of the tunnel with cheers and hope it will add a new dimension in the economy like China’s Shanghai.
The prime minister drove through the tunnel in a motorcade to join a public rally at Anwara upazila after inaugurating it at Patenga point. The premier unveiled the plaque of the tunnel on the north bank of the Karnaphuli at Patenga at 11:40am. She paid toll for her motorcade at the south bank of the river at Anwara.
A mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was set up in front of the Shah Amanat International Airport and a shampan (boat) was placed there to mark the occasion.
The two ends of the tunnel have been decorated with multi-coloured banners and flags.
Once the tunnel, built at a cost Tk 10.374 crore, opens to traffic travellers will be able to cross the tunnel in five minutes.
The tunnel is fully prepared for vehicle movement. The construction work of fire service and police camp building on the two ends of the tunnel is going on.
Almost 99 per cent work of the project has been completed and the rest will be done in December while over 100 CCTVs have been installed inside the tunnel.
The speed of the vehicle was fixed at 60 kilometres per hour and no motorbike and three-wheelers will be allowed on the tunnel.
Besides, weight scales have been set up on the entrances of the tunnel to check movement of heavy vehicles.
The tunnel will boost the connectivity with the district town to the Southern part of Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, project officials said.
According to the project, two tubes with 16 feet high and 35 feet wide, were built so that the heavy vehicles can easily cross the tunnel.
The total length of the tunnel is 3.32km with a 5.35km approach road and a 740 metre bridge.
The tunnel has been built with joint funding of the governments of Bangladesh and China (G2G). The Exim Bank of China is giving a loan of Tk 5,913 crore while the Bangladesh government is funding the rest.
The Karnaphuli River divides Chattogram into two parts. The tunnel being built – following the “One City, Two Towns” model like Shanghai in China – will connect the port city on the north with Anwara upazila on the south.
China has provided technical and financial assistance to the project.
According to official notification, a total of 12 types of vehicles will have to pay tolls at Bangabandhu Tunnel. The toll rate will come into effect from the day the tunnel is opened to vehicular movement.
According to the notification, the minimum toll in the tunnel is Tk 200. This toll has been fixed for private cars and pick-up trucks.
The toll for microbuses is Tk 250. The toll for buses less than 31 seats is Tk 300 while buses with more than 32 seats will have to pay Tk 400. The toll for big buses with 3XL has been fixed at Tk 500.
The toll for trucks capable of carrying goods up to five tonnes has been fixed at Tk 400. Eight-ton trucks will have to pay Tk 500 and Tk 600 toll has been fixed for 11-ton trucks.
The 3XL trailer will have to pay Tk 800 in toll to cross the tunnel. Meanwhile, a 4XL trailer will pay Tk 1,000. An additional Tk 200 toll will be added for more XL.
Based on the feasibility study conducted for the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, it is projected that once the tunnel becomes operational, an average of 28,305 vehicles will traverse through it on a daily basis by the year 2025.
Furthermore, the study estimates that by 2030, the number of vehicles is expected to increase to 37,946, and by 2067, the target has been set at an average of 162,000 vehicles per day.
