Ctg Elevated Expressway toll collection begins in January
Initially, tolls will be collected through four booths at the Patenga-end of the expressway
After five months of trial runs, toll collection on the Chattogram Elevated Expressway is set to commence in January 2025.
Initially, tolls will be collected at four booths located at the Patenga end of the flyover for both entry and exit.
The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) plans to expand this to 10 booths once the construction of additional ramps is completed.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
"All preparations for toll collection have been completed. Although we intended to start from 19 December, the ministry instructed us to begin on the first of the new year," said CDA Chairman Md Nurul Karim.
He also noted that motorcycles will be prohibited due to safety concerns but could be reconsidered once other ramps are operational.
The elevated expressway, inaugurated virtually by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 14 November 2023, began trial operations in August this year.
The expressway allows vehicles to travel directly between Lal Khan Bazar and Patenga, with current entry points at Lal Khan Bazar and exits at Tiger Pass and Patenga. The maximum speed limit on the expressway is 60 kilometres per hour.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works approved the toll rates in February 2023.
Following a public backlash, the rates were revised, with reductions ranging from Tk20 to Tk50 depending on the vehicle type and entry-exit points.
The updated toll rates, approved on 27 November 2023, are as follows: CNG auto-rickshaws Tk20-30, cars Tk50-80, jeeps Tk70-100, microbuses Tk90-100, pickups Tk130-150, minibuses Tk180-200, buses Tk250-280, 4-wheeler trucks Tk180-200, 6-wheeler trucks Tk300, and covered vans Tk450.
Motorcycles and trailers have been banned from using the expressway.
The elevated expressway project was approved in 2017 with an initial budget of Tk3,250.83 crore and an expected completion date of June 2020.
Construction began in February 2019, but the project faced delays, and the deadline was extended to June 2024. The budget was revised in September 2022, increasing by Tk1,048 crore to Tk4,298.95 crore.
Officials involved in the project have attributed the delays and cost overruns to frequent design changes and a lack of consultation with stakeholders.
The need for U-loops and U-turns became apparent midway through the construction, leading to the addition of 15 ramps for entry and exit.
In an October 2023 CDA board meeting, it was decided to suspend five of these ramps to reduce costs and address stakeholder objections.
The suspended ramps include the Polo Ground ramp on Mohammad Yousuf Chowdhury Road in Tiger Pass towards Patenga, the Agrabad ramp near the Ethnological Museum, two ramps for entry and exit on Agrabad Access Road, the EPZ ramp from the main bridge.
