The government has finally declared the launch of the country's first dedicated Gazipur-Airport bus corridor, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), in December 2022.
Once opened, the mass transit service would relieve pains of the public using the 20.5-kilometre corridor.
The Tk 42.68-billion project began almost a decade ago.
The Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Company Limited announced to the media the launching time during a press conference simultaneously from its Uttara office and a Zoom meeting on Thursday.
Project director Shafiqul Islam briefed said tender for 100 special BRT buses would be opened this December to bring those into the country in seven to nine months.
Various constraints caused more than expected time in completing the corridor development work, he said, adding: "Progress is ongoing."
Mr Islam said optimum work on the 16-kilometre surface road is nearly completed.
Even 65 connecting roads or feeder roads planned to link with the corridor have also been developed.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) launched the 'Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project' after the ECNEC's approval in December 2012 to introduce the bus-based mass transit service.
Under the project, 16-km surface road was planned to upgrade with eight lanes keeping a four-lane provision in the middle of the road for BRT.
Another four lanes are kept for mixed traffic.
Besides, the Bangladesh Bridges Authority is developing 4.5-km elevated road and eight-lane Tongi Bridge.
However, the project caused commuter suffering since the start of the construction in 2017 for its failure to complete the work with proper traffic management.
The project faced multiple problems, including Chinese contractor's delay in starting work and design fault for not having proper drainage system.
All these causes doubled the project cost from Tk 20.39 billion and revised the implementation time and cost in its development project proposal.
Mr Islam said congestion on Gazipur-Airport corridor would go after the launch of the BRT line.
The BRT would reduce the demand for other modes of transport from the corridor due to its ability to transit 20,000 passengers in an hour.
Thanks to having bus stations every 800 metre, he claimed, people would not depend on other modes to reach their destinations.
The company has already started talks with the current bus owners using the corridor to rehabilitate them.
Replying to a query on bus standard and its maintenance, the PD said 12-metre air-conditioned buses will be brought from any reputed company following the government's procurement rule.
smunima@yahoo.com