70% of 16km Ctg elevated expressway completed

A total of 70 per cent of construction works of the 16-km elevated expressway, the second largest in the country, has already been completed, an official said.

“Seventy per cent of construction work of the second largest elevated expressway was completed,” Project Director and Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) Executive Engineer Mahfuzur Rahman said.

He said the remaining construction works of the four lanes elevated expressway from the city’s Lalkhan Bazar to Shah Amanat International Airport in Patenga are going on in full swing.

The Tk 4,298 crore mega project aimed to decongest Chattogram city, he said, adding its construction works will be completed by June 2024.

On completion, it will take less than half an hour to go to Patenga from the city centre which now takes two hours for traffic jams.

Mahbubul Alam, President of the Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the expressway will be connected to the Akhtaruzzaman flyover which will stretch a total length of about 22 km.

The expressway will improve connectivity between Chattogram city and the southern region, the chamber president said.

Terming that the elevated expressway will also make communication with CEPZ, KEPZ and Chattogram Shah Amanat Airport easier and faster, industrialist Mustafizur Rahman said it will become a milestone in the communication system of the port city after completing the project.

Project Director Mahfuzur Rahman said the project area is divided into four parts to facilitate construction work that includes Patenga to Cement Crossing Junction, Cement Crossing to Saltgola, Saltgola to Barik Building Junction and Barik Building Junction to Dewanhat.

Among those, the work of two parts from Patenga to Saltgola nears completion while piling is going on from Barrick Building to Dewanhat, he said.

He also said the expressway will have a total of 379 pillars from Patenga to Saltgola and from Barik Building to Chowmuhani.

Slab laying work has also started in the Patenga section, he added.

CDA Chairman M Zahirul Alam Dubash and concerned officials are constantly inspecting the construction work.

The project director said there will be 15 ramps at seven junctions while the width of the expressway will be 54 feet. The expressway will have 2500 LED lights, he added.