Dhaka-Sylhet 6-lane highway to open to traffic by June 2029: Rabiul

Road Transport and Bridges, Railway and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has said the government is working with a target to complete the upgrading of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to six lanes and opening it to traffic by June 2029.

He said land acquisition, construction and other related activities under the project are being expedited to achieve the target. Steps are also being taken to identify and quickly resolve the problems in sections where progress has not been satisfactory, he said.

The minister made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after inspecting the progress of construction work under the Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project at Shashai area of Bijoynagar upazila in Brahmanbaria district this afternoon.

Shaikh Rabiul Alam said the Dhaka-Sylhet highway is one of the most important national highways in the country and plays a significant role in connecting the capital with the northeastern region of the country.

"Therefore, the government is taking various effective measures to implement the project to upgrade the highway to six lanes as quickly as possible," he said.

The minister said that, as a result of necessary initiatives taken over the past six months, progress in land acquisition under the project has reached around 56%. He expressed hope that 100% of the land acquisition would be completed within the next two months.

Once land acquisition is completed, there will be greater scope to accelerate the construction work under the project, he added.

Providing an update on the physical progress of the project, the minister said work on eight of the project's 13 packages is progressing satisfactorily. However, the progress in five packages has yet to reach the expected level, he added.

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He said the problems in the packages where progress has fallen behind the schedule are being identified and addressed quickly to accelerate the implementation.

"All the relevant agencies will have to work in coordination to complete the project within the stipulated time," he said, adding, "If the progress of the work is slow in any one section, it affects the overall progress of the project."

"The highway is directly linked with the country's economy, trade, tourism and regional connectivity," he said.

Referring to the temporary public hardship caused by construction work at various points along the highway, Shaikh Rabiul Alam said relevant authorities have been instructed to take necessary measures to maintain normal movement of vehicles and people while accelerating construction work.

As part of his daylong visit, the Road Transport Minister also inspected the Kanchpur-Narsingdi section, the Brahmanbaria section and the Habiganj section of the ADB-funded Dhaka-Sylhet Corridor Road Development Project.

During the visit, he inspected various sections of the project on the ground and reviewed the progress of construction work. He also provided necessary directives to the officials concerned on various aspects of project implementation.

Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division Dr Mohammad Ziaul Haque, officials associated with the project, officials of the Roads and Highways Department and representatives of the contractors engaged in the construction work were present.