The country's road-transport sector is set to experience a forward leap with inauguration of 100 bridges and two lanes of the 2.3-kilometre Tongi Bridge, and work completion of a tube of the first underwater tunnel in Karnaphuli River in November.
Road Transport and Bridges (RTB) Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday inaugurated traffic on two lanes of the 10-lane Tongi bridge-cum-flyover - built from Uttara House Building to Tongi Fire Service on Dhaka-Joydebpur Highway.
Inauguration of the two lanes of the bridge is expected to give some respite in travelling on the oversaturated highway that kept commuters waiting for two to three hours every day.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate 100 bridges in seven divisions of the country today (Monday), including in the hill tracts, built by replacing bailey bridges and widening small and medium bridges.
The prime minister will also join the ceremony on November 26, to be organised on completion of the tube - located on the southern side of the two-tube Karnaphuli tunnel.
While disclosing all these, the RTB minister said with the inauguration of the two lanes of the Tongi Bridge for traffic, 80 per cent work of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor has been completed.
He said the BRT corridor is expected to be inaugurated in next May or first week of June for easing traffic movement through introducing dedicated bus line.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) officials said the BRT project has been implemented at a cost of Tk 42.68 billion.
It would develop a 20.5-km dedicated bus corridor from Joydebpur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, having 16 km grade wide road and 4.5 km elevated road along with 10-lane Tongi Bridge and 16 stations.
Besides, the RHD constructed the 100 bridges with a total length of 5.49 kilometres in Dhaka, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Barishal, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Chattogram, replacing the age-old small and medium bridges and bailey bridges having lengths of 16-101 metres each.
The officials said the bridges are set to play a significant role in facilitating trade and business in the country, including eco-tourism, as many of these bridges are linked with tourist spots and business centres in 25 districts.
Among the bridges, the highest 46 bridges were built in Chattogram division, seven bridges each in Dhaka and Rajshahi, six in Mymensingh, 17 in Sylhet, 14 in Barishal, and three in Rangpur.
Besides, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the Karnaphuli tunnel implementing agency, said 93 per cent of the tunnel's civil work has been completed and the remaining civil work will be completed in November.
Officials said after the civil work, electrical and mechanical works will be carried out to make the two-tube tunnel ready for commissioning.
smunima@yahoo.com