After the inauguration of Padma Bridge and Dhaka Metro Rail, Bangladesh has entered a new era in the communication sector. An elevated expressway has been launched for the first time in the country to reduce traffic congestion. Such a flyover without singles and traffic jams is a fantasy for the people of the country.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first Dhaka elevated expressway from the airport to Framerate on September 2, 2023. The prime minister inaugurated the expressway at a function at the old trade fair ground in Sher-e Bangla Nagar at 4:00 pm the same day. It was opened for public transport from 6:00 am on September 3.
What rules will be followed to use Dhaka elevated expressway?
On September 1, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority issued a public notice regarding the rules to be followed to use this Dhaka elevated expressway.
According to the notification, people can get on and off the Dhaka Elevated Expressway from specific places by paying the prescribed toll. Vehicles heading from Dhaka north to south will be allowed to get on the elevated expressway from Kaola on the south of Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport and from Army Golf Club on Pragati Sarani and Airport Road. They will be able to get off at Kamal Ataturk Avenue in Banani, in front of Mohakhali Bus Terminal, and Indira Road at the Farmgate end.
Vehicles heading south to north will get onto the elevated expressway from in front of Bijoy Sarani overpass and in front of Banani railway station. The places of disembarkation are in front of Mohakhali Bus Terminal, Airport Road, and in front of the third terminal of the airport.
Two and three-wheelers and pedestrians will not be allowed on the elevated expressway. Standing on any kind of vehicle has also been completely banned.
The maximum speed limit on Dhaka elevated expressway route has been fixed at 60km per hour, and the maximum speed limit for the ramps has been fixed at 40 km per hour.
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How to get buses on Dhaka’s elevated expressway?
BRTC has decided to run buses on the expressway from September 18. Through this, public transport has been added to this expressway. Buses run from three depots on the elevated expressway. For now, passengers can get on and off at both ends of the expressway. Southbound passengers can be picked up by BRTC bus from Jasimuddhin Avenue, Airport Railway Station, and Kaola in Uttara. After that, the bus will go down the expressway through Farmgate. Passengers will be dropped off there.
On the other hand, airport-bound passengers will be taken from Khejurbagan area of Parlament House adjacent to Manikh Mia Avenue. For this, north-bound passengers can get on from Khejurbagan, Khamarbari, or Bijoy Srani. In that case, the passengers on the bus will have to cross at least two traffic signals on the expressway.
BRTC Chairman Md Tajul Islam said,’’ Passengers will not have to pay extra money than the BRTA fixed fare. For now, toll fares are not being added. Later, the fare will be adjusted to include the Dhaka elevated expressway toll fixed by the government. As BRTC is a government organization, it loses somewhere.’’
The fare for 15 kilometers from Khejurbagan to the airport is Tk 35, and the fare for 17 kilometers up to Jasimuddin Avenue has been fixed at 40. The fare per kilometer stands at 2.45. The BRTC chairman said there is no scope to change fares as there is an e-ticketing system.
According to the transport owners’ association, BRTC buses are running but other public transport will not run on this route right now. The reason for this is that there is no place to stop on the expressway. This will cause them to suffer from a passenger crisis. There will be very few passengers directly from the airport to Farmgate or Framgate to the airport. Most of the passengers will be in the Mohakhali or Banani area. There are no stoppages there. Later, some other buses started operation on the expressway.
Separate tolls have already been fixed for different vehicles on the expressway. The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges has fixed the toll by dividing vehicles into four categories on this part of the expressway. The minimum toll has been fixed at Tk 80 and the maximum at 400. On August 21, a notification signed by Abul Hasan, deputy secretary of the Bridges Division of the ministry, stated that the toll has been fixed at Tk 160 for all types of buses (16 seats or more) up to Farmgate.
What is the difference between an elevated expressway and a flyover?
Elevated expressways and flyovers are both types of road infrastructure that are designed to improve traffic flow in urban areas, but they serve slightly different purposes and have some key differences:
Elevated Expressway:
- An elevated expressway is a high-speed road or highway built above ground level allowing uninterrupted traffic flow at high speeds.
- Elevated expressways are typically longer and are designed to connect different parts of a city or region, often bypassing congested areas at ground level.
- They are usually part of a larger network of highways and are meant to facilitate long-distance travel and traffic movement between different areas.
Elevated expressways can have multiple lanes in each direction and are often designed for higher speeds than flyovers.
Flyover:
- A flyover is a bridge-like structure that allows one road over another road or intersection without interfering with traffic on another road.
- Flyovers are usually shorter in length than elevated expressways and are built to ease traffic congestion at certain intersections or junctions.
- They are often used to reduce traffic obstacles, improve traffic flow, and increase safety at busy intersections.
- Flyovers are usually single-level structures and may have fewer lanes than expressways.
In summary, the main difference between elevated expressways and flyovers lies in their length, purpose, and scale. Elevated expressways are long-high-speed roads that connect different parts of a city or region, while flyovers are short structures designed to improve traffic flow at specific intersections to allow traffic to pass over other roads.
What are the benefits of an elevated expressway?
The Dhaka Elevated Expressway has reduced traffic congestion in Dhaka. As a result, people’s suffering is decreasing. According to communication experts, the benefits that will be available from the expressway are-
Arriving at the destination on time
Through the Dhaka elevated expressway, the destination can be reached at the specified time. Earlier, there was no specific way to reach Framgate from Dhaka airport with a specific time. However, it will take 10 to 12 minutes to cross this road by car.
Saving hours of work
It is one of the busiest routes (Framgate to airport) in Dhaka as many commutes on this road every day. With the introduction of the elevated expressway, commuters will be able to travel faster as the pressure of vehicles on the lower road will be reduced. This will provide relief to the miserable traffic. As a result, the working hours of Dhaka residents will be saved.
Economic development
Gazipur Industrial Area is in the northern part of the capital. Most of them are readymade garment industries. It was a matter of great risk for these export goods to cross the traffic jam of the capital and go to the scheduled destinations, including Chittagong and Mongla ports. But, those days of hardship end on the Dhaka Elevated expressway. Export goods vehicles are be able to reach their destination in less time by avoiding the traditional traffic congestion. This will make the country’s economic wheel more active.
Building smart Bangladesh
The expressway has opened the door of new horizons for the country and taken the government one step further toward the vision of building a smart Bangladesh. As a result, there are positive changes in many aspects related to the daily life of city dwellers.
Advantages of private cars
About 350,000 private cars ply in Dhaka. About 40 new cars are added every day. Traffic congestion is increasing in the capital due to private cars. According to communication experts, as private cars are being used on this flyover, the pressure on the lower road has greatly reduced. Akhter Mahmud, professor of urban and regional planning at Jahangirnagar University and former president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners, told media that private cars and inter-district buses are getting more benefits from the elevated expressway.
He said those who live in the central part of the city such as Farmgate and its adjacent areas are enjoying this facility when they go to the airport or Uttara.
Earlier, when someone from Farmgate wanted to go to the Uttara or airport area, there were a lot of jams in the middle. After the inauguration of the elevated expressway, he or she can go to the airport area in just 10 to 12 minutes.
According to experts, in the same way, When those who used to come to Dhaka by inter-district buses from the airport, can come here ignoring a big traffic jam.
The experts said if we can maintain proper traffic management at the ramp and complete the BRTA works or development works as soon as possible, there will be no problem. Although half of this expressway has been inaugurated after the completion of the work, many people are definitely getting many benefits from it.
What is the cost of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway?
According to the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the agreement for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway project was signed in January 2011 under a public-private partnership. A 20-km long expressway was planned to start from Kaola south of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway via Moghbazar.
There is a total of 31 ramps of 27 km in length for getting up and down on the expressway. The total length of the elevated expressway including this ramp is about 47 kilometers. The total cost of the project is Tk 8,940 core. As a result, the cost of this expressway is more than Tk 191 crore per kilometre.
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