Ctg’s first elevated expressway opens for public on trial basis 9-month after inauguration

After nine and a half months since its formal inauguration, Chattogram's first elevated expressway, named after former mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, opened to the public on a trial basis last Saturday (24 August), mainly for private cars and microbuses.

However, the expressway's full operation and toll collection are still pending approval from the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, according to Mahfuzur Rahman, executive engineer and project director of the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA), the project implementer.

The 15.2-km expressway connects Lalkhan Bazar, the heart of the port city, to Shah Amanat International Airport and the business hub of Patenga. 

Mahfuzur told TBS, "The main infrastructure of the elevated expressway has been completed. We are currently conducting test drives and monitoring for any issues in vehicle movement. Any problems identified will be addressed after receiving a report from expert consultants."

"The ministry has finalised the toll rates and has made recommendations regarding vehicle movement. Full-scale vehicle operations will commence once the ministry grants approval, and we are fully prepared for it," he added.

Project officials said that the ministry has set the toll rates as follows: cars, SUVs, and microbuses will be charged Tk100, minibuses Tk200, buses Tk300, and covered vans Tk500.

According to the CDA, the expressway was inaugurated by the then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina virtually on November 14 last year.

While trial traffic has begun, buses, trucks, and CNG-powered auto-rickshaws are currently not permitted. The maximum speed limit on the expressway is set at 60 km/h.

Vehicles are currently running directly from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga as the expressway ramps are not yet complete.

The expressway will feature 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. 

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 project was approved in July 2017 to alleviate traffic congestion in the port city. Initially budgeted at approximately Tk 3,250 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 Tk 4,369 crore.