INCOORDINATION between two projects erecting elevated expressways — the Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway and the Dhaka elevated expressway — has left uncertain the connection between the expressays meant in the Dhaka airport area. The 24-kilometre Dhaka-Ashulia expressway, stretching from the south of the airport roundabout at Kutubkhali to about two kilometres north of Baipail, and the 46.73-kilometre Dhaka exressway, stretching from the airport area to Jatrabari, are scheduled to be connected in the airport for smooth communication. The Dhaka-Ashulia project is scheduled to build 26 piers in an 850-metre area stretching from the south of the airport roundabout to the Dhaka expressay. But Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project officials allege that it has already been about two years that they have been trying to establish the connection, but the Dhaka expressway project office has denied the Dhaka-Ashulia project an access to the construction site. The Dhaka-Ashulia project has so far managed to build only four piers in the area. A Dhaka-Ashulia project official says that the Dhaka expressway way project has kept construction materials, including girders and equipment in the 850-kilometre span where the remaining piers would be built. The Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project has held meeting with the Dhaka expressway project but no progress could be made.
The worrying incoordination has surfaced although both the projects, meant to reduce traffic congestion in the capital city and neighbouring areas, are supervised by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. The Dhaka expressway authorities have, however, said that they would clear the area for the Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project by this July, noting that they were duly assisting the Dhaka-Ashulia project. What is further worrying is that while both the projects are delayed, such a delay in creating the connection between the expressways would further hold off the intended benefits. The Dhaka-Ashulia expressway project began in January 2023 after the National Economic Council on June 1, 2022 approved the first cost revision to Tk 175.53 billion with a deadline of June 2026 while the project was undertaken on November 2, 2017 at a cost of Tk 169.01 billion with a deadline of June 2022. The project has completed only 30 per cent of the physical work and 40 per cent of the overall work until mid-May. The Dhaka expressway project began in 2015 at a preliminary cost of Tk 89.4 billion after it had been undertaken in 2011 and revised in 2013 because of alignment changes. The project has completed 75 per cent of the overall work as it has so far been planned until mid-May.
Such incoordination is nothing new and the authorities are yet to wake up to the reality. Such problems have been noticed in other road communication projects, especially Mass Rapid Transit Line 6, Bus Rapid Transit Line 3 and the bus route rationalisation project. Such delays would obviously run to time and cost overruns. The government, the Bridges Division that is, must, therefore, attend to the issue and put in efforts not to allow such problems in other projects in the future.