Dig, delay, repeat: Dhaka’s endless cycle of roadwork

Nurjahan Road, one of the busiest roads of Mohammadpur area, is now undergoing its seasonal dose of excavation. The area, already severely congested with rickshaws, is now further burdened by traffic congestion.

"It used to take much less time to reach my workplace in Karwan Bazar," said Kamrul, an Adabor resident. "But now, with traffic jams and the added burden of road excavation, the commute has become even slower and takes significantly longer."

Similar scenes are unfolding across Dhaka, in areas like Tejgaon, Technical and Dhaka Udyan. Various government agencies are excavating road after road to lay or repair utility lines — water, gas, sewage, electricity, and internet.

The problem is not the work itself but how it is being done.

In an ideal world, urban infrastructure would evolve with foresight. But in Dhaka, the situation has long been one of reactive decisions and overlapping authorities. As soon as one agency finishes its job and covers the road, another begins digging again.

Furthermore, in the past, this became one of the major causes of public suffering during the monsoon as excavated roads were left idle until the rainy season ended. This year, Dhaka North Administrator Mohammad Azaz said that no new permissions of road excavation will be granted after 30 May.

Dr Md Shamsul Hoque, professor at the Department of Civil Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), said, "When urbanisation takes place, utility lines are essential. In such cases, these utility lines are placed within a common tunnel in developed countries. However, in our country, there is rarely any such planned approach."

His words point to a stark contrast between what is and what could be.

Cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have adopted common utility tunnels — underground ducts that house multiple services in one space. These systems reduce the need to dig roads repeatedly and make maintenance easier.

"The cities that have developed successfully have gradually moved towards tunnel systems, meaning all of their utilities pass through a single tunnel," Professor Hoque explained.

But Dhaka remains locked in a cycle of wasteful excavation. Each project disrupts daily life and strains public funds. Sometimes, freshly paved roads are cut open again, with little coordination among the agencies responsible. This frustrates both experts and citizens.

The Dhaka-Aricha road near the Technical bus stop, for instance, is currently being excavated to relocate electric wires underground. Due to the excavation, the footpath has become unusable due to piles of blocks. Several feet of the road have been dug up, slowing traffic and causing longer queues at the traffic signal, as some pedestrians are now using the road in the absence of a usable footpath.

The impact goes beyond inconvenience. There are risks to the structural integrity of roads. Repeated excavation weakens the base layer of the road. Over time, even small rainfalls cause potholes or collapse.

"When various agencies carry out separate excavation works, it not only causes inconvenience and traffic congestion, but also leads to wastage of public funds and damages the structural integrity of the roads," said Dr Hoque.

He believes that the answer lies in building a common utility duct. One authority would install and maintain the duct, ensuring less damage, better coordination, and long-term savings.

"We need to install a common utility duct. The authority that installs it can later lease space within the duct to other agencies in exchange for fees. Many countries such as Thailand and Malaysia — have already implemented such systems."

However, such a system may not be feasible for older neighbourhoods in Dhaka, where the city has grown organically and haphazardly over decades.

Dr Hoque noted that if we truly wish to mitigate the impact, we must adopt a scientific approach. "Even if we cannot apply it to Dhaka at this point, we must follow this method in areas like Purbachal, Uttara and Keraniganj."

Yet, even the new townships suffer from vague or flawed planning. According to Dr Hoque, part of the blame lies with decision-makers.

"Sometimes, it seems that even Rajuk itself does not know how to plan properly. It does not have clarity on whether utility ducting should involve cutting and digging or follow some form of sustainable method. Without that clarity, how can there be a proper solution?"

Funding also plays a role. Most urban infrastructure projects in Bangladesh depend heavily on foreign aid or development funds. Delays in disbursing these funds often mean that work begins in bursts — without a long-term roadmap.

"Another issue is the timing of fund release. It is difficult to bring discipline into funding sources, especially since we are often dependent on foreign aid," Dr Hoque added.

"In Bangladesh, it is the bureaucrats who make the decisions. However, it should be the experts who decide what kind of planning is needed and how it should be done. Bureaucrats should merely provide support in implementing those decisions," said the Buet professor.