An outer ring road will be constructed around Dhaka with public-private funding to free the capital from gridlock. A project titled Feasibility Study on Dhaka Outer Ring Road Eastern, Western and Northern Parts has been approved.
The transportation system in Dhaka city has become too much dependent on road transport and this creates, more often than not, bumper to bumper traffic snarl, according to Planning Commission. They said that the city has created a chaotic mixed means of transportation.
The total cost of the project has been estimated at Tk 16.03 crore, which has been approved by Planning Minister MA Mannan.
The feasibility project will run from July 2020 to June 2022.
The Planning Commission physical infrastructure department (Road Wing) senior assistant head, Nazmul Hasan said, “The Dhaka outer ring road feasibility study project has been approved. The planning minister has approved the project.”
The main project will be taken up depending on this project, he said adding that, “If this is implemented, vehicles from one end of the country to the other will be able to travel without entering the capital.”
He mentioned that the project is being taken up to cope with the nagging traffic congestion in the capital. As part of this, outer ring road will be constructed in the eastern, western and northern parts of Dhaka, Hasan informed.
According to Planning Commission sources, under the project, necessary documents for the construction of the ring road, alignment
verification and preliminary design for the preparation of the investment project will be prepared. Local consultancy services will be procured for preparation of feasibility study of Dhaka outer ring road.
Computer equipment for training and skill enhancement will also be procured. Tk 10.65 crore will be spent in the consulting sector. Manpower will be recruited through outsourcing.
Besides, gas fuel worth Tk 4 lakh, petrol worth Tk 3 lakh and computer equipment worth Tk 2 lakh will be purchased under the project.
Planning Commission sources said the project is being taken up for various reasons. The transportation system has become heavily dependent on road transport.
Besides, inter-district buses ply inside Dhaka city due to lack of outer ring road or bypass, they mentioned. As a result, a severe gridlock is created in the city. This is why, the project has been approved, they said.
Traffic pressure is higher in the north-south than that in the east-west of Dhaka, they said adding, inner ring road and outer ring road will be constructed on all four sides of the city.
The route has been determined for this. The revised route is Hemayetpur-Kalakandi-Third Shitalakshya Bridge-Madanpur-Bhulta (via Dhaka by pass) -Kadda (Gazipur) –Bipail (Dhaka EPZ) -Hemayetpur.
The total length of this route is 130 km. Of this, 46 km new roads will have to be constructed. The remaining 84 km of the existing roads need to be developed.
The under- construction Padma Bridge will connect the north-east with the south-west of the country.
When the Padma Bridge will open to traffic, innumerable vehicles will enter Dhaka city from the south-western districts of the country via Munshiganj and Mawa via Jatrabari.
This can make the communications system unbearable. Therefore, the southern part of the ring road is mentioned as important in the proposed alignment in the revised STP.
