Disorder plagues Chattogram’s first elevated expressway

Despite being open to trial traffic for two months, Chattogram's first elevated expressway, named after former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, is marred by reckless driving and disregard for traffic rules.

Locals said though two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicles are officially prohibited, they are frequently spotted on the 15.2 km flyover.

Sajjad Hossain, a motorcycle rider from the Oxygen area of Chattogram, expressed concern about the reckless driving on the expressway.

"Cars are often seen coming from the opposite direction, particularly during nighttime. I even witnessed a bike accident there," he told The Business Standard.

Mahfuzur Rahman, executive engineer and project director of the Chattogram Development Authority, told TBS, "We have installed signboards indicating the prohibitions, but no one adheres to them. We will send a letter to the traffic department for assistance."

The expressway was partially opened to private cars and microbuses on 24 August, but full-scale operations and toll collection are still pending ministry approval.

Regarding the official launch, Mahfuzur Rahman said, the toll rates will be reviewed and submitted to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works during a board meeting on Monday (27 October). "After receiving approval from the ministry, we will officially begin toll collection." 

According to the CDA, on 14 November last year, then prime minister Sheikh Hasina virtually inaugurated the 15.2 km 'Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury-CDA Expressway' in Chattogram city, along with 157 development projects nationwide. 

While temporary traffic has commenced, buses, trucks, and CNG-powered auto-rickshaws are still prohibited. The expressway has a maximum speed limit of 60 km per hour. 

Currently, vehicles are travelling directly from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga, as the expressway ramps are incomplete. Cars can enter at Lalkhan Bazar, descend at Tiger Pass, and continue to the edge of Patenga.

The main infrastructure of the expressway was finished in April this year, making it ready for vehicles. However, trial traffic has not started as the installation of road lights and closed-circuit (CC) cameras was pending.

The CDA signed a contract with a joint venture MAX-RANKEN on 30 October 2018 to build the expressway.

The expressway features 15 ramps, including one at GEC junction, two at Tigerpass, four at Agrabad, one at Fakirhat, two at Nimtala, two at CEPZ, one at Cement Crossing Junction, and two in the KEPZ area. 

However, ramp construction remains incomplete, delaying full-scale operations. 

Additionally, concerns have emerged about the quality of work.

The Standing Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works formed a sub-committee on 10 June to investigate complaints and assess construction quality following concerns about the elevated expressway project. 

However, after the ouster of the Awami League government, the committee's work was left unfinished. 

The project was approved in July 2017 to alleviate traffic congestion in the port city. Initially budgeted at approximately Tk3,250 crore, the project was scheduled for completion by June 2020.

However, the timeline has been extended multiple times till June 2024, and the project cost has risen to over Tk4,369 crore.