Questions Mount Over Chattogram’s First Elevated Expressway

Despite the passage of eight years, the elevated expressway project from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga in Chattogram continues to move toward uncertainty. The flyover was inaugurated hastily before the 2024 national election, even though only half the construction was complete. Work remains ongoing, and there are growing concerns over its proper use and long-term benefits.

Although the flyover was planned to start from Lalkhan Bazar, no access road was built to connect the main road to the elevated structure. Experts say the funds spent on the expressway could have been used instead to modernise the entire city’s road and traffic system, which would have benefited all residents.

To make the expressway more usable, additional spending will be required, though even that may not ensure full benefits. Having more ramps alone will not necessarily improve usage; Dhaka’s example shows that ramps do not guarantee efficiency without proper traffic management, said urban planner Engineer Subhash Barua.

The project’s implementing authority, the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), also cannot offer reassurance. CDA points to objections from Chattogram Port and Bangladesh Railway, delays in land acquisition, lack of traffic department clearance, disputes over the Lalkhan Bazar design, slowdown during Covid-19, delays in opening alternative roads, and design changes near the port as reasons for project delays. According to the feasibility study, additional ramps beyond the existing ten will be required, further increasing project costs.

According to the project director’s office, the expressway includes ten ramps between Lalkhan Bazar and Patenga. Among them, two ramps—one near the Ethnological Museum in Agrabad for descending and another at Debar Par in Agrabad for ascending—have not yet been initiated.

Four ramps have been completed: two for ascent and descent at Nimtala Junction (Patenga to Lalkhan Bazar direction), one descent ramp at Tigerpass toward Ambagan, and one descent ramp at Fakirhat (Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga). However, none of these are yet open to traffic.

Work on the remaining four ramps is ongoing—two ascent–descent ramps in front of Chattogram EPZ, an ascent ramp near Karnaphuli EPZ, and another ascent ramp at GEC intersection (Patenga-bound).

Former CUET Vice-Chancellor Professor Jahangir Alam said the expressway was not designed solely for travel between Lalkhan Bazar and Patenga but to ease congestion across the entire city. Without the planned ramps, people will not benefit, and traffic flow will fall short of expectations.

Approved in an ECNEC meeting in August 2017, the 15.5 km expressway project was initially budgeted at Tk 3,250 crore with a three-year deadline. After two extensions, the cost rose to Tk 4,315 crore. The deadline has now been extended three times to June 2026. Nonetheless, the expressway was inaugurated by the then-prime minister on 14 November 2023.

Subhash Barua, Vice-President of the Planned Chattogram Forum and an urban planner, told the press that a tailored feasibility study was conducted to secure project approval by showing an artificially low cost estimate. A competent consulting firm would have provided a much more effective assessment. An 80-page feasibility report was produced with significant spending, but it lacked accuracy.

He added that even with further investment, full benefits may not be achieved. Ramps alone are insufficient; effective traffic management is essential.

CDA Chairman Engineer Md. Nurul Karim told the press that the current allocation will not be enough to complete the project; additional funds will be needed. The first phase will conclude with nine ramps. The remaining ramps and potential new locations will be identified through consultants and completed in a second phase with CDA’s own funding. However, no timeline is available yet for the second phase.

He further said the flyover was built to ensure easier airport access, and residents are already experiencing some benefits. Legal issues, land complications, and public objections delayed several ramps, but the remaining work is expected to be completed within five to six months.

The feasibility study projected that 66,323 vehicles would use the expressway daily by 2025, with the majority being cars and three-wheelers. Currently, fewer than 7,000 vehicles use it daily. Actual usage will only be clear once all ramps are operational.

A field inspection shows the Lalkhan Bazar descent ramp has a plastic divider in the middle, forcing vehicles to enter via a narrow lane. The expressway remains largely empty, with only a few private cars, jeeps, and CNG autorickshaws seen—no buses operate on it.

Khaborwala/TSN