Dhaka bypass road project cost to go up

The Planning Commission has already scrutinized a project revision proposal seeking cost and time extension, sources said.

Ecnec approved the ‘Support to Upgrading Joydevpur-Devgram-Bhulta-Madanpur road (Dhaka Bypass) on PPP Basis’ project in early March to complete the work by June 2020 at a cost of Tk 2.37 billion.The Dhaka Bypass road is intended to establish access-controlled road connectivity between the N-4 (Dhaka-Tangail) highway and the N-1 Dhaka-Chattogram highway.

Once the first revision proposal gets approval, its cost will rise by Tk 4.38 billion to Tk 6.75 billion and the time will be extended by another four years up to June 2024 because of the inclusion of some new components while increasing some existing ones.

“We’ve already completed necessary scrutiny of the project and it will be placed in the next meeting of Ecnec,” a planning commission high official said, seeking not to be named.

The project will require 5.22 hectares more land acquisition, which alone is increasing the project cost by Tk 4.01 billion along with an additional increase by Tk 13.9 million for consultancy and Tk 22.5 million for rehabilitation.

Tk 30 million more will be required for inter-ministry land hand over, Tk 45.3 million for vehicles use, Tk 14.5 million for paying officers’ salaries, argued the implementing ministry.

About the time extension up to June 2024, the road transport and bridges ministry said the support project’s duration should last for at least six months after the end of the project as main the PPP project started from October 2020 and will end in December 2023.Under the support project, construction work supervision, independent engineer service and other counterparts support will be given.

Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved in principle the four-lane Dhaka bypass road project in September 2012 to implement it on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) method.

A PPP contract was signed between the private investor SRBG-Cell UDC Consortium and the Department of Roads and Highways on December 06, 2018, to construct, maintain and operate the road.

The private investors formed Dhaka Bypass Expressway Development Company Ltd on March 20, 2019.

“Apart from establishing a direct access-controlled road link between N-1 and N-4, the bypass road will also help link Nepal and Bhutan with the Chattogram port as part of SASEC corridor,” said Planning commission’s physical infrastructure division Member Mamun-Al-Rashid.

He also hoped that the new road will ensure safe, modern and cost-effective road connectivity which will eventually make local business activities faster.