DOT Desk: Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has ordered the ongoing construction of the Bangabandhu Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River, reports Dhaka Tribune.
He also asked the authorities concerned to complete all the ongoing construction work under the Bridges Division.
The minister made the call during a view exchange meeting with the Bridges Division and Bangladesh Bridge Authority employees on Wednesday. Nearly 87% of the Bangabandhu Tunnel, the largest tunnel project in Asia, is complete.
Project officials hope the tunnel, being built at a cost of Tk10,374 crore, will be ready for traffic by the end of the year. The Bangabandhu Tunnel is expected to open up a new route across (or rather under) the Karnaphuli River. The tunnel will take connectivity between the Chittagong metropolitan areas and Anwara upazila, on the south bank of the river, to new heights. It will also allow traffic from Dhaka to bypass Chittagong City and go directly to Cox’s Bazar.
The tunnel under development is 3.4km long. In addition to the tunnel, more than five kilometres of linked roadways and a 727-metre overbridge are being constructed.
The authorities plan to turn Chittagong into a two-town city, like Shanghai, once the tunnel is completed.