Chattogram Port access road work begins next fiscal, will expand regional connectivity

The government wants to start the improvement work of the Chattogram Port access road next fiscal year and expects it to be completed by 2027.

The preparatory work of the project is in its final stage and a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has also been confirmed, Roads and Highways Department Chief Engineer Md Ishaque told The Business Standard recently.

The ADB is providing Tk1,269 crore of the total Tk3,300 crore project cost.

Under the project, a section of the existing two-lane access road will be widened to six lanes with service lanes on one side, while the rest to four lanes with service lanes on both sides.

The project's DPP (development project proposal) has already been sent to the Planning Commission from the Roads and Highways Department for approval.

The road starts from a major intersection in Chattogram-Dhaka highway, spans for a length of 11.450km and ends in front of the underpass of Chattogram Port.

The road provides direct access to the port from the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, exclusively used for heavy vehicles to move goods and is known as "Port Link Road".

The improved road is expected to halve the travel time from the Salimpur intersection to Chattogram Port and enhance the road's carriageway capacity, officials familiar with the project said. 

The development of this road will increase accessibility to Chattogram seaport and strengthen sub-regional connectivity, they said.

It is the busiest seaport on the coastline of the Bay of Bengal and is used by India, Nepal and Bhutan for transhipment. 

The access road is part of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) road.  

The development of the road will enhance trade and commerce activities by expanding regional connectivity with SASE Corridor, BIMSTEC Corridor, and Saarc Corridor and thus contribute to the economic growth of the country, according to the project document. 

The road is one of the major access roads from Dhaka to Chattogram Port, however, it is a two-lane road with limited capacity and no service lane for slow-moving vehicles, leading to significant economic loss and safety hazards, the ADB document of the project said.   

Chattogram is located at a critical junction of Bangladesh, being a focal point for regional transport corridors, as well as the main transport axis of Bangladesh.

Rail, road, air, and port logistics converge in Chattogram.