Tangail-Rangpur highway: Progress 73%, completion unlikely this year
Highlights:
- Around 73% of the overall project work has been completed
- Dec 2024 deadline set to be missed
- The project is being implemented under 11 packages
- 3 packages (Bangabandhu Bridge east, west and Gobindaganj) are stalled
- Officials said land acquisition complexities are behind the delay
Upgrading the 190-kilometre Tangail-Rangpur road into a four-lane highway has progressed around 73%, yet complexity in land acquisition stands in the way of completing the project by the deadline of December this year.
This highway is a lifeline for the people of northern Bangladesh, carrying thousands of vehicles daily. However, the ongoing construction work, combined with the already heavy traffic, is causing frequent gridlocks at several points. This situation is likely to worsen during the upcoming Eid holidays, leading to longer-than-usual traffic jams for northbound travellers.
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Launched in 2016, the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (Sasec) road connectivity project was initially slated for completion by 2021 but the deadline was extended until December 2024. The project design had to be altered as land could not be acquired as per plan due to several existing structures, said officials.
Hamidul Haque, additional project director of the project, said the highway is being developed under 11 packages and some of the packages would not be able to meet their completion deadlines, especially the Bangabandhu Bridge East and West packages and Gobindaganj package.
The Bangabandhu Bridge packages are of utmost significance as they serve as key entry points for vehicles from the North-West region via Tangail's Elenga, he said.
Also, it would take up to December 2025 to complete the work on a three-km road package in Gaibanda's Gobindaganj, which was stalled due to land acquisition issues, the official said.
The project work was initially divided into nine packages but later two packages for constructing two cloverleaf interchanges at both ends of Sirajganj were added.
Hamidul Haque, however, assured that all work on the highway is expected to be fully completed by December 2025.
Several other officials engaged in the project, speaking anonymously, said there are two packages located east and west of the Bangabandhu Bridge, covering 13 and 30 kilometres respectively. Progress in these areas has been notably sluggish, with the combined completion rate of these two projects below 50%. The required land has been acquired recently for the Gobindaganj package but it is currently a marketplace. Demolishing these structures and commencing work is expected to take considerable time.
According to Bangabandhu Bridge authorities, during regular periods, approximately 16-17,000 vehicles pass through the bridge daily. However, during Eid, the average number escalates to 42,000 vehicles. These vehicles travel to various districts within the Khulna, Rangpur, and Rajshahi divisions via the bridge. Hence, expediting the construction progress of the Tangail and Sirajganj sections of the project is deemed crucial.
The road construction spanning from Sherpur in Bogra to Banani in Shahjahanpur falls under package number eight, managed by CPCL Tantia JV Company. At the project's outset, the contracting company faced a 19-month hiatus due to complications in land acquisition for this section.
Mamun Kaiser, the package manager, said, "While most structures in the area have been cleared following various notices, the acquisition of 4.34 acres of land remains pending. Despite repeated notifications to the district administration, uncertainty looms over its acquisition, which significantly impacts our project timeline."
"In the absence of timely land acquisition, completing the package as scheduled poses a challenge. However, we aim to proceed with available spaces. Around 80% of our package has been completed thus far," he added.
Project details
The 190km road is one of the eight new highways of Bangladesh - 600km in total - which will be added to the proposed South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity, said project Spokesperson and Executive Engineer Joy Prakash Chowdhury.
The highway in Northern Bangladesh is expected to help grow industries in the region as well as increase direct trade with India and Nepal.
The construction of the road started in 2016 with an estimated cost of Tk11,899 crore. Later the cost was revised up to Tk16,662 crores. Two flyovers, 26 bridges, a railway and 11 steel-foot overbridges will also be built under the project.
The Roads and Highways Department is constructing the road with the financial assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Sasec project.
