When will Chattogram elevated expressway open?

We are disappointed by the unexplained delay of the authorities in opening the much-anticipated elevated expressway in Chattogram, which is supposed to ease traffic congestion and boost the port city's economy. Even though eight months have passed since its inauguration by the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in November 2023 (when it was still incomplete), it remains uncertain when the elevated expressway will open to the public. The Chattogram Development Authority (CDA), which constructed the 16-kilometre-long expressway—from the port city's Lalkhan Bazar to Patenga—has remained silent about its opening. Although the project director hinted in March this year that the expressway would be partially opened to the public within two months, this did not happen. Now, in mid-August, the continued uncertainty about its opening has frustrated the people of Chattogram.

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Absconding mayors have created a crisis, but also an opportunity

Unfortunately, like most other mega projects in the country, the Chattogram elevated expressway has also faced cost and time overruns. While the project was originally scheduled for completion by June 2020, its deadline has been extended twice—with the new deadline set for June 2024. Naturally, this delay has significantly increased the project's cost, which rose from Tk 3,250 crore to Tk 4,298.95 crore. Moreover, a dispute over land acquisition among the CDA, Chattogram Port Authority, and railways further delayed the work. As a result, the CDA had to alter the expressway's original design.

We would like to ask: Why was the project hurriedly inaugurated if it couldn't be opened to the public? Why do such projects always face time and cost overruns? Why are issues like land acquisition not resolved before the start of the project? Why do we repeatedly encounter these questions about most such projects? We urge the interim government to take a strong stance to address these anomalies in project implementation.

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Public institutions must perform better

Over the past few decades, a culture of inefficiency, incompetence and irregularities have plagued all our government institutions. And the CDA is no exception. It has a record of failure in many projects it undertook over the years—and it cannot continue in this manner. We urge the CDA to open the first elevated expressway in Chattogram as soon as possible. This will not only provide commuters with some relief from unbearable traffic congestion, but also reduce travel time and cost and hopefully usher in a new era of connectivity and trade in the port city.