Railway, Wasa delays stall Ctg elevated expressway ramps, commuters face disruption

Infograph: TBS

Delays by the Bangladesh Railway and Chattogram Wasa have created uncertainty over the construction of ramps of the Chattogram Elevated Expressway, causing disruption for city residents.

Despite repeated deadline extensions, ramp construction of the elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga – built to ease traffic congestion in Chattogram – remains incomplete. Although the main carriageway was opened in August 2024, the ramps are yet to be fully operational, limiting the benefits of the Tk4,298 crore project.

Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) officials said slow relocation of Wasa pipelines and delays in land handover from the Railway, despite payments, have held back overall progress. The project deadline has been extended to December 2026, but there are concerns over whether work at key locations can be completed within the remaining time.

Ramps incomplete, usage far below target

The CDA initially planned 15 ramps, but the number was reduced to nine due to design complexities and other constraints. Of these, construction is currently underway only at Fakirhat, CEPZ and KEPZ, while key points such as GEC and Agrabad remain non-functional.

According to the project's feasibility study, the expressway was projected to carry 39,388 vehicles daily in 2025. However, actual traffic stood at 8,121 vehicles per day that year – around 20% of the target. Project Director and CDA Executive Engineer Md Mahfuzur Rahman said daily usage has risen to over 10,000 vehicles in 2026 but remains well below expectations due to incomplete ramps.

At present, heavy and light vehicles heading towards the port and Patenga use the expressway, but residents of central city areas are largely unable to benefit due to incomplete ramps. The key GEC intersection ramp remains fully non-operational.

Ramps near completion but access blocked

Project Director Mahfuzur Rahman said four of the nine ramps are about 95% complete but cannot be opened as approach roads and toll booths are yet to be installed. He said the main structures of ramps at Nimtola, Fakirhat and Ambagan are already in place.

He said work on two ramps in CEPZ and one in KEPZ is ongoing. "Completion of CEPZ ramps may take another three months, while work in KEPZ may take at least four months due to delays in relocating power lines and land acquisition," he added.

Wasa pipeline stalls GEC ramp

At the GEC point, the ramp from Kohinoor City to Wasa Mor remains stalled due to a main drinking water pipeline and a regulator valve belonging to Chattogram Wasa. Wasa officials said relocation is in process, but there has been no visible progress on the ground.

As a result, residents in surrounding areas have to take longer routes via Muradpur or Lalkhan Bazar to access the expressway, increasing travel time and creating heavy congestion on surface roads.

"I have to travel to Agrabad daily for work, but despite the expressway, I still face long traffic congestion," said Iqbal Ehsan, a resident of the 2 No Gate area. "If the ramps were operational, it would be easier to travel from GEC to Agrabad," he said.

Regarding the GEC ramp, Project Director Mahfuzur said about 70% of the work has been completed but the remaining part is stalled due to "extreme negligence" by Wasa.

"Despite paying around Tk3.5 crore in June last year, there has been no visible progress in relocating the pipeline even after 10 months," he said.

Railway land delays stall Agrabad ramp

The situation is more complex for the Agrabad ramp. To use 22 decimals of land owned by Bangladesh Railway in the Debar Par area, CDA has already paid around Tk12 crore.

All dues, including licence fees, security deposits, VAT and taxes, have been deposited, but Railway authorities have delayed the process, citing eviction and compensation issues.

Officials said that if the connection at Agrabad Debar's west side were opened, the usefulness of the expressway would increase significantly and congestion in the commercial area would ease.

Project Director Md Mahfuzur Rahman said CDA completed payment and signed an agreement with the Railway two months ago, but the land has not yet been handed over. Construction would take another six months after handover, he said.

"If we receive the land within this month, we are hopeful of completing the entire project by December 2026," he said, adding that progress remains uncertain due to lack of cooperation from Wasa.

Agencies trade blame over delays

Managing Director of Chattogram Wasa, Monowara Begum, said there was no delay from their side.

"Equipment needs to be imported, which takes time. Work is ongoing, and the line will be shifted once the materials arrive," she said.

Railway's divisional estate officer in Chattogram, Md Khorshed Alam Chowdhury said the delay lies with CDA.

"They have paid for the land, but compensation for structures is still pending. Once they complete that, we will issue notices to remove the structures," he said.

Experts cite coordination gaps

Road transport expert Engineer Subhash Barua said the situation reflects weak administrative coordination, adding that such projects usually begin after full land handover.

"Even after payment, if land is not transferred, why are legal steps not being taken?" he said.

Engineer Delowar Majumdar said repeated design changes and alignment issues indicate planning weaknesses and may reduce effectiveness.