Slow pace of construction work on 8.25-kilometre Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover, with an interruption of about two months because of faulty design, is causing severe sufferings to the city dwellers.
Narrow road, traffic congestion and dust pollution at the construction sites have been eating up many of the working hours of the busy city life.
After about a two-month break, works on the flyover resumed in mid-August but the broken traffic island and ditches caused by construction works are creating total traffic chaos on the roads.
Witnesses said rickshaws and private cars were seen crossing the roads through broken traffic islands haphazardly giving a damn to traffic rules.
Residents of Eskaton, Moghbazar, Madhubagh, Dilu Road, Kalabagan and Begunbari are facing severer traffic debacle because of the construction work.
‘Shahid Selina Parvin Road’s median was demolished about five to six months ago but the authorities were yet to repair it,’ said Abul Kashem, a Malibagh resident.
He also said the road has narrowed because of rubbish and bricks kept on it, which cause severe traffic congestion in the rush hour.
Shahin Sultana, a pedestrian, said she used to use the footpath from Satrasta to Moghbazar turning to reach her office.
‘But due to the dust I avoid the road,’ she added.
Some pedestrians said the construction works on the flyover was making it quite impossible for them to use the adjacent footpaths of the areas including FDC and Eskaton.
The flyover’s work remained suspended for about two months because of faulty design after the construction work began five months ago in February, said officials.
According to the consultants, the project office faced difficulties in setting up pillars at different points as the project areas were very congested, which required redesigning of the flyover.
After starting the work on the faulty design, the local government and engineering department has taken initiatives to redesign the proposed flyover.
According to the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology’s civil engineering department the LGED in June sent a proposal to the department to redesign the flyover.
Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover project official and LGED senior assistant engineer Mohammad Amirul Islam Khan told New Age on Thursday that at present the project office was working at BFDC, Satrasta and Eskaton.
‘We are doing initial work in these areas which includes piling works,’ he said.
The engineer claimed that the work was continuing though they had sent the project design to the BUET for redesigning it.
‘Because of the redesigning, our work was at a slow pace since June but now we are working in full swing,’ he added.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on February 16 inaugurated the project aimed at easing traffic between the capital’s north and south ends. The project is scheduled to be completed in February 2015.
Australian firm SMEC International and its three local associates ACE Consultants Limited, SARM Associates Limited and Kranti Associates Limited are working as consultants for the project.
About Tk 52.95 crore has already been spent on different purposes relating to the project, including land acquisition and utility services, he added.
The project office hopes that the city’s north-south traffic would be considerably easier at eight turning points of Moghbazar-Mouchak stretch and two level crossings after the construction of the flyover.
The turning points are Satrasta, BFDC, Moghbazar, Mouchak, Shantinagar, Malibagh, Chowdhuripara (Rampura) and Ramna police station and the level crossings are Moghbazar and Malibagh. The flyover will have a total of 15 ramps.
The total project cost has been estimated at Tk 772.7 crore of which the government will provide Tk 200.47 crore, Saudi Fund for Development Tk 375.25 crore and OPEC Fund for International Development about Tk 196 crore under a joint financing.
The contractors are Danish-Bangladesh joint venture Simplex-Navana and Bangladesh-India joint venture MCCC-4 ACL-ODC.