The World Bank (WB) has declined to finance building the entire BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) line from Airport to Keraniganj as its design conflicts with those of Moghbazar-Mouchak and another planned flyover, officials said on Friday.
The global lender, however, agreed to provide US$ 500 million in loans for constructing a partial line from Airport to Mohakhali, they said.
The rest of the 22km proposed BRT line stretches from Mohakhali to Kakrail to Gulisthan and to Keraniganj (Jhilmil).
A mission from the Washington-based lender is now in Dhaka to assess the possibility of bankrolling the project, said an official of the Economic Relations Division (ERD).
An additional secretary of the ERD said the bank's mission during its visit in Dhaka has met the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA), the ministry of road transport and bridges (MoRT&B), Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) and other stakeholders to assess necessity of the project.
The bank has agreed to finance the 10 kilometre-line between Airport and Mohakhlai part rather than entire route through Jhilmil of Keraniganj.
Earlier, the coordination agency planned to build the 22km BRT Line-3 from Airport to Keraniganj in order to establish a smooth and faster transportation system from the northern corridor of the capital city towards the southern part.
A few years back, a feasibility study through the financial support of the WB was conducted where the Washington-based lender assured the government of funding the entire route, a senior ministry official said.
"But now the World Bank is reluctant to finance the entire line. It has suggested building the 10km-line up to Mohakhali from the airport," he said.
Since there is a conflict in the design with the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover, it is now difficult to build the BRT Line-3 up to Keraniganj, he said.
A coordination agency official told the FE requesting anonymity that the other part between Mohakhali and Keraniganj is now uncertain because the Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover was built defying repeated warnings from experts.
Besides, another flyover is proposed between Shantinagar and Keraniganj on the route of the BRT line, which might prompt the WB to avoid financing the entire BRT line, he added.
According to the Strategic Transport Plan (STP), the BRT route will be along the Airport Road via Banani, Mohakhali, Tejgaon, Moghbazar and Kakrail.
At Kakrail, one part of it would go towards Rajarbagh, DIT Extension Road, Bangabhaban, Kaptanbazar, Baldha Garden and Babu Bazar.
Another part would go towards the Matshya Bhaban, Abdul Ghani Road, Golap Shah Mazar, and North South Road.
The ERD's additional secretary said since the bank has agreed to provide $ 500 million for the BRT line-3, they will try to confirm the loan within this fiscal year by signing a deal.
After this ongoing mission, the ERD will sit for negotiations within a few months for confirming the loan deal, the official said.
The coordination agency official said they have plan to complete building of the BRT line by 2021 if the financing is confirmed shortly.
Two dedicated lanes will be constructed in the existing road alignment between Airport and Mohakhali for the rapid bus services, he added.
