Ashulia Elevated Expressway Set for Full Completion Next Year

The entire construction work of the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway will be completed by next year, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam said. He made the remarks on Wednesday while inaugurating two two-lane service bridges from Dhawr Mor to Ashulia.

The road transport and bridges minister said that after a long wait, a section of the country’s longest elevated expressway, the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, has been opened to traffic. He said the project has made significant progress over the past six months since the current government took office. As part of this progress, one section has been completed and opened to traffic.

He further said that once the entire Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway becomes operational, connectivity between the capital and the northern and northwestern regions of the country will become faster and easier. At the same time, long-standing traffic congestion and public suffering in Ashulia and Savar will be reduced.
Among those present at the inauguration were Dhaka-19 lawmaker Dr Dewan Md Salauddin Babu, Dhaka-18 lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain, Road Transport and Bridges Ministry Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rauf, Elevated Expressway Project Director Shafiqul Islam, CMC President QI Yi and other concerned officials.

According to project sources, construction of the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway began on November 12, 2022, nearly five years after the project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). The 24-kilometre project was undertaken to ensure faster connectivity between the northern and northwestern regions of the country through Ashulia, one of the capital’s busiest gateways.

Due to various complications, construction of the project progressed slowly for a long time, causing significant suffering to residents of Ashulia, Savar and surrounding areas. However, the pace of work has increased recently. As of July, the overall progress of the project stood at around 72 percent.

Under the second revision of the project, its cost has increased by approximately 54.1 percent to Tk 27,045.67 crore. The revised project includes drainage facilities, underground electrical lines and a new design for connecting the expressway with Terminal 3 of the airport. In addition, a three-storey, visually appealing trumpet interchange will be constructed at Baipayl.

Meanwhile, a 2.72-kilometre-long bridge has been constructed to ensure uninterrupted water flow in the Turag River. As part of the initiative, two two-lane service bridges from Dhawr Mor to Ashulia have been opened to traffic.