Elevated expressway for Dhaka

The result is that the city's streets are choked with traffic moving at snail's pace that makes even the shortest of journeys a major headache, frustrates every inhabitant of the city, and acts as an impediment to any kind of economic activity.

In this context we appreciate the initiative taken by the Roads and Highways Department to build a 20km elevated expressway from Jatrabari to Sonargaon crossing.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

As opposed to the ad hoc measures that have been taken in the past and are currently under construction, the 20km elevated expressway promises to provide a solution for easing traffic congestion. The plan takes into account the entirety of the city's traffic problems and attempts to effect a permanent solution that encompasses all of the city's needs projected far into the future. This is the type of approach that the city's transportation morass demands.

The estimated cost of the project is Tk 20 billion and negotiations are already underway with two Thai companies that have submitted bids, and the Thai Exim Bank and Thai government, which have pledged to provide finance. The communications ministry has yet to finalise approval of the project and the Bangladesh government is negotiating to reduce the interest rate proposed by the Thai Exim Bank to finance the project.

We urge the communications ministry to prioritise its scrutiny of the project's feasibility and to give the green light to the project as soon as is practicable. This is the kind of venture that the ministry should put on a fast track. Similarly, we hope for a swift conclusion to financing negotiations, though we of course support the government's efforts to secure as favourable a financial arrangement as possible.

The important thing is that this project move forward in a timely manner. The infrastructure of Dhaka city must be improved if we are ever to transform it into a vibrant and modern metropolis that meets the needs of its long-suffering inhabitants.