All preparations are underway to open Bangabandhu Tunnel, the country's first underwater tunnel, in Chattogram in December. Already 90 percent of the infrastructure work of the tunnel has been completed.
The construction work of 8-km long six-lane tunnel crossing Kalabibi Road is underway. It will connect Chittagong city with the other side of the Karnaphuli River.
However, there is a fear that the work of six lines could not be completed before the opening of the tunnel next December. But officials have said that they will complete the work on four lanes for traffic and the remaining two lines will be completed by December 2023.
After opening of this much-hyped tunnel, vehicles will move to different parts of the country, including Cox's Bazar-Dhaka, over the Banshkhali-Anwara-Patia-Chandnaish Road. There will be a revolutionary change in people's transportation services.
Suman Singh, director of the tunnel's six-line connecting road project, executive engineer of Dohazari road and township department, said, "The project work is going on as per schedule. There is no irregularity, corruption, arbitrariness anywhere. Soil is used where soil is needed. Sand is used where sand is needed. Everything is done through laboratory tests. Before opening of the tunnel next December, instead of six lanes, the work of the four-lane road will be completed and it will be opened to traffic. The rest of the work will be completed in December 2023."
China Communication Construction Company (CCCC) and China Road and Bridge Engineering Company (CRBC) are building the tunnel at a cost of Tk 10,374.42 crore, to turn Chattogram into “One City Two Towns” following the model of Shanghai city in China.
Of this, the government of Bangladesh has financed Tk 4,461.23 crore. Besides, the Chinese government is financing Tk 5,913.19 crore.
The total length of the proposed tunnel will be around 9.092km, including 3.5-km tunnel under the Karnaphuli River.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone on October 14, 2016.
The proposed multi-lane tunnel will connect Chattogram city with the other side of the Karnaphuli River.
It will also make connections between the proposed Asian Highway and the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar Highway aiming to make regional connectivity easier.
