The length of the elevated expressway under construction from Lalkhan Bazar in Chattogram to Shah Amanat Airport is about 16.5 km. After more than three years, finally permission was given to use railway space from Lalkhan Bazar to Dewanhat. Recently CDA has been given permission to use the 70th century space of the railway.
A bilateral agreement has also been signed in this regard. After the approval, there were no further hurdles in the construction of expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Shah Amanat International Airport.
According to sources, the CDA is interested in taking long-term lease of about 70 satak of land for the landing point of the flyover on the western side of the Dewanhat overbridge.
But CDA was not getting permission from Railways to use the space. Due to this, the project work was stopped in that area. Project work on Sheikh Mujib Road and Tiger Pass at Dewanhat but no work could be done on the side of the middle overbridge. After nearly three years of efforts, CDA has finally got permission to use the 70 satak land of the Railways. CDA will construct expressway and landing point over the site on long term lease.
According to the sources, the elevated expressway construction project from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga was taken up in 2017 to ease traffic congestion in the city, to keep business and port-centric traffic moving normally. In 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to Chittagong to inaugurate the pillar piling work of the expressway. Although more than half of the work of this project worth around Tk 4000 crore has been completed, complications have arisen with the permission to construct a flyover over the railway site next to the Dewanhat overbridge.
The project was supposed to be full completed in July 2017 to June 2020 period. It was then extended till June 2021. Later again extended till June 2022. Again extending the tenure till June 2024.
CDA Chief Engineer Kazi Hasan Bin Shams and Railway Chief Estate Officer Sujan Chowdhury signed the agreement on their behalf. The construction of the 16 km long elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga remained unchallenged.
CDA started work on the Tigerpass section after the completion of work on Sheikh Mujib Road in Dewanhat in early 2022. The section between these two areas could not be worked on near the Dewanhat overbridge due to non-receipt of railways. Recently, after the agreement of the officials of the two organizations, this complication has been resolved.
CDA Chief Engineer Kazi Hasan bin Shams said that the complexity of the important project was resolved through the agreement. After the implementation of the elevated expressway, airport-bound vehicles will travel through the expressway, which will reduce traffic congestion in the city.
Railway (East) Chief Estate Officer Sujan Chowdhury said that permission has been given to use the 70 satak land of Railways. Tk 3.5 crores will be paid initially for 10 years on long term lease. But we have asked CDA to give twenty years.