Eid journey to get easier as 7 flyovers open on Dhaka-Gazipur route

Passengers’s suffering to ease as seven flyovers on the Dhaka-Gazipur route were opened to traffic on Sunday ahead of the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr.

In anticipation of the Eid traffic surge, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has inaugurated seven flyovers on the Dhaka-Gazipur route constructed under the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) segment of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

He inaugurated these flyovers via a video conference from the ministry's conference room at the Secretariat on Sunday.

The minister said: "These seven flyovers are a gift from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the passengers heading home for Eid. There has been a delay in the completion of this project. It could not finished on time. There have been some unwanted incidents during its execution. Though late, the work is on the verge of completion. We hope to facilitate bus traffic through this within this year. The overall progress of the project is 91%. The remaining work will be finished by December.”

Vehicles can now travel through these flyovers, which include a 323m Airport Flyover (left side), a 323m Airport Flyover (right side), a 180m Jasimuddin Flyover, a 165m U-turn-1 Gazipura Flyover, a 165m U-turn-2 Open University Flyover, a 240m Bhogra Flyover, and a 568m flyover at Gazipur Chowrasta.

Initially, the project was supposed to be completed within four years to alleviate the suffering of people commuting between Dhaka and Gazipur, although it has stretched to 12 years. With the extension of time and cost of the project, people’s suffering has also significantly increased.

The BRT project summary states that 100 articulated buses will transport 25,000 people per hour once implemented, significantly reducing traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.