Traffic
FDC ramp of Dhaka Elevated Expressway opens to traffic, Quader calls it ‘PM’s Eid gift’
The exit ramp of Dhaka Elevated Expressway's Karwan Bazar section, in front of FDC, opened to traffic on Wednesday (March 20, 2024).
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader formally opened the ramp in the morning.
With this, 16 ramps of the Elevated Expressway have been opened so far.
On September 3 last year, the 11.5 km Airport-Farmgate stretch of Dhaka Elevated Expressway was opened to traffic and today the FDC gate ramp was opened. “This is an Eid gift from the Prime Minister for the people,” Quader said.
“We will be able to fully open it by the beginning of next year. Hatirjheel ramp will be opened and progress is on following that direction,” he added.
Onion prices fall by Tk30 per kg as seasonal supply rises in market
Asked about the increased traffic congestion in Dhaka during the month of Ramadan, the minister said, “People go to shopping malls during Ramadan and there will be some traffic jam. However, there is no traffic jam from Uttara to Motijheel. People can easily reach their destinations.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 2, 2023 inaugurated the Airport-Farmgate segment of Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
The total length of the expressway is 19.73 km and people can enter and exit the expressway through ramps in 31 points.
The project director said 72.51 percent work of the expressway has been completed and the work at Hatirjheel and Panthakunja points is underway.
2 killed in separate accidents in Sylhet and Chandpur
The Dhaka Elevated Expressway project was undertaken in 2011. On December 15, 2013, Bangladesh Bridge Authority signed a revised agreement with First Dhaka Elevated Expressway Company Limited, the investment company of the project.
Over 2 million students sitting for SSC, equivalent exams starting today
The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and equivalent examinations for 2024 started today, with over 2 million students from 29,735 educational institutions expected to participate. The Ministry of Education has announced that the exams will start at 10 am across 3,700 centers nationwide.
To ensure the integrity of the examination process, no mobile phones or electronic devices will be permitted within the exam centers, except for a basic phone set without internet access to be used exclusively by the hall secretary. The question code will be disclosed 25 minutes prior to the start of each exam, streamlining the process for students and staff alike.
DMP forms 'quick response team' to ease movements of SSC examinees
In a notable departure from tradition, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel has decided not to visit any examination centers this year, aiming to reduce the stress levels among students.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s (DMP) Traffic Department is taking proactive measures to facilitate a smooth commute for examinees by forming a "quick response team." This initiative is designed to address any transportation issues students might face en route to their examination centers.
Md Munibur Rahman, the Additional Commissioner (Traffic) of the DMP, emphasized the importance of students planning their travel to arrive at least 30 minutes before their exams begin. He also offered guidance for navigating traffic safely, advising students to use foot over bridges and zebra crossings where available and to seek assistance from traffic police in case of congestion or other issues.
2 SSC exam centres along BD-Myanmar border relocated
Lax hartal underway with regular traffic on the streets
The daylong hartal, called by BNP to protest the schedule for the next national election, is underway in a lax manner.
BNP called the hartal on the last date for submitting nomination papers to contest the 12th parliamentary polls.
The hartal started at 6 am and will end at 6 pm today (November 30, 2023).
Two covered vans were set on fire by miscreants in Gazipur.
BNP to enforce daylong hartal Thursday
Despite fear of arson attacks, a number of vehicles including public transport were seen plying the city streets.
Additional police were seen performing their duties at all key points of Dhaka.
The opposition parties’ shutdown is meant to register their protest against the schedule for the next national election announced by the Election Commission (EC), and to mount pressure on the government to quit, hold the next election under a non-party neutral government and release the opposition leaders and activists, including BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
BNP to enforce blockade Wednesday, hartal Thursday
The 24-hour blockade called by the opposition parties on Wednesday was marked by stray incidents of arson attacks on vehicles.
The opposition parties have so far observed blockades in eight phases.
Elevated Expressway witnessing 50% higher traffic than expected; almost 1 million use it in first month
Traffic flow on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway has exceeded all expectations and targets, with over 30,000 vehicles on average using it daily till October 2, marking a month since it was opened to the public on September 3.
A total of 900,627 vehicles used the expressway till October 2 since it was formally opened by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on, and a total of Tk 7.29 crore was collected as toll during the period, said Dhaka Elevated Expressway Project Director AHMS Akhtar.
Private cars, taxis, sports utility vehicles, microbuses (less than 16 seats), and light trucks (less than 3 tonnes) are among the Category-1 vehicles that have to pay a Tk 80 toll to use the Expressway. During the first month, 892,250 of the vehicles that used the expressway were in the category, accounting for over 99 percent of all vehicles.
Medium vehicles (up to 6 wheels) are included in Category-2, with a Tk 320 toll. The motorway was used by 1,468 vehicles in this category.
How much did Elevated Expressway earn in tolls in first 3 weeks?
Trucks with more than six wheels are classified as Category-3, with a toll of Tk 400. There were 49 of these vehicles on the expressway during the first month.
And category 4 or all sorts of buses (16 seats or more) pay a toll of 160 taka, with a total of 6,860 vehicles in this category. It accounts for 0.76 percent of all vehicles that used the expressway during the time period.
"We are happy as more vehicles are using the Dhaka Elevated Expressway exceeding our expected target," said Akhtar.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally opened the Airport-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway by paying a Tk 2,000 toll for her motorcade's 25 vehicles on September 2. The following day, the route from the Airport to Farmgate was opened for vehicular movements. It takes 10–12 minutes to travel from the Airport to Farmgate using the expressway.
Elevated expressway a big step towards Smart Bangladesh: Korean Ambassador
"Though we expected that on average around 20,000 vehicles would use the expressway daily, now the number has increased to more than 30,000 vehicles," Akhtar also said, which means the traffic witnessed is a significant 50% higher than expected.
Replying to a question, the project director said the city’s residents from the Airport to Tejgaon area have been witnessing slightly smoother movement of vehicles on the streets. "We will get the visible benefits when the expressway is fully completed and opened to the public."
Eid journey: Heavy pressure of vehicles in Gazipur; commuters say being charged extra fare
The situation on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway in Gazipur is better than the last few years.However, since this morning, there are crowds of home-goers at various important points including Chandana intersection on the highway and the pressure of vehicles is also very high.To keep the movement of vehicles smooth on the highway, the road is being monitored round the clock with the deployment of additional traffic police at important points including Chandana, Bhogra Bypass intersection, Board Bazar, and Station Road.There are certain routes with fewer vehicles and more commuters. Many said they have to wait for a long time for buses, and taking advantage of this, transport workers are charging extra fare.Buses on the Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Sherpur, Netrakona and other routes are charging about one and a half times more than usual fare, they complained.Gazipur Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (traffic) Mohammad Alamgir Hossain said, about 1,000 traffic police personnel, APBN members and rover scouts have been deployed in three shifts to maintain normal traffic conditions on the highway during this year's Eid journey.Special monitoring is going on to prevent unfit vehicles from plying the road. Some tow-trucks have also been kept ready at different points of the highway.
Fatullah residents weary of routine gridlock on Dhaka-Narayanganj road
Traffic congestion on the old Dhaka-Narayanganj road from Chashara to Panchabati, Fatullah Bazar, and post office to Munshi Khola of Pagla has become a daily routine.
School and college students, as well as garment workers and professionals, are often stuck in traffic.
Owing to lack of proper monitoring from public representatives and top administration officials, it has become impossible to bring the traffic congestion under control. As a result, there is no end to passengers’ suffering from morning to night.
The reason for this traffic congestion, among others, is that buses pick up passengers by braking anywhere on either side of the road at Panchabati intersection; freight trucks load and unload at the entrance of the market adjacent to Fatullah Mosque, and the illegally built easybike stand in front of Shibu Market at Fatullah Post Office.
As a result, the traffic on this essential road remains gridlocked and passengers suffer for countless hours.
Read more: Traffic woes: Dhaka will see a ‘massive difference’ by 2030, PM says
Another reason contributing to the traffic congestion is empty trucks being parked on the Dhaka-Narayanganj DND road. Apart from that, goods-laden trucks constantly face difficulty crossing the entry and exit points of Fatullah.
Despite having traffic police nearby, they are not performing their duties properly.
The road between BSCIC Gate2 to Panchabati is frequently congested. only because the truck drivers and auto rickshaws violate traffic laws, causing significant suffering for passengers. Even pedestrians face difficulty walking on footpaths.
Munshikhola, Taltala is the hub for the country's largest rod cements. From here bricks, cement and rods are supplied to north and south Bengal. Many of the regular commuters on this road said it is difficult to tell how they will travel during this holy month of Ramadan.
In addition to occupying the entire road, easybike-mishuk-buses-trucks are also parked on mud roads hampering movement of people.
The commuters admit that no driver of any vehicle, big or small, wants to obey the traffic rules.
In order to remove traffic congestion on this route, the common people strongly demanded increased community policing along with the traffic police. That can free parts of the road of traffic jams.
Specifically, commuters UNB spoke to blamed the drivers and helpers of two transport companies - Ananda and Borak Paribahan - for contributing to the traffic mess.
The residents of Fatullah demanded that drivers and helpers, owners' associations and labour leaders should be aware and united to ease the traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Narayanganj DND road and the administration and the traffic police have to be vigilant in solving this problem.
Traffic woes: Dhaka will see a ‘massive difference’ by 2030, PM says
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that Dhaka city will witness a “massive difference by 2030” as the government will implement various projects for improving rail connectivity to ease traffic congestion in the capital.
“Insha Allah, Dhaka city will have a different scenario by 2030, through rail communication,” she said while inaugurating train operations from Rooppur, Shashidal and Joydebpur railway stations on the newly installed 69.20 km track under three projects of Bangladesh Railway, joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.
The prime minister said that the government has already introduced Metro Rail for Dhaka city dwellers which will be extended from Uttara to Kamalapur in near future.
She said that not only elevated, the government is also going to introduce underground train, and for that it has started construction work under the MRT-I project.
“It (rail) will save commute time and costs. Traffic of Dhaka city will ease,” she said.
Railways Minister Md. Nurul Islam Sujan, Deputy High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh Dr Binoy George, and Railways Secretary Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir also spoke at the programme. A documentary on the three projects of Bangladesh Railway was screened at the event.
The PM said that her government has constructed the Padma Multipurpose Bridge with own financing and ensured rail communication facilities on the bridge.
She said that installation work of rail track on the Padma Multipurpose Bridge is going on in full swing. She added that extension of the rail track to Rupdia and Singia of Jashore is progressing.
“Besides, two fast-track projects are being implemented to establish rail connectivity with the tourist destination Cox's Bazar, thanks to the initiative of the Awami League government,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the government is also constructing a separate rail bridge on the Jamuna river, which is progressing fast.
“Those who once opposed rail connectivity through the Bangabandhu Bridge are now proposing to construct a separate rail bridge on Jamuna river. Construction work of the Bangabandhu Rail Bridge is going on,” she said.
The PM said that construction of Akhaura-Laksam dual-gauge double-line, Dhaka-Tongi 3rd and 4th dual-gauge line and Tongi-Joydebpur dual-gauge double-line are under construction.
In addition, she said, the government is constructing Dhaka-Narayanganj dual-gauge line, Bhanga-Barishal-Paira Port railway line, Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-line, Khulna-Darshana dual-gauge double-line, Sirajganj-Bogura dual-gauge railway line.
"Moreover, work on Joydebpur-Mymensingh-Jamalpur dual-gauge double-line, Rooppur nuclear power plant rail-link, Akhaura-Agartala rail line, Dhirashram ICD project is in progress," she said.
The prime minister said that for the purpose of transporting goods of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the government took up the project titled “Rehabilitation and Construction of Railway Line with Signaling for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant” with own funding.
Under the project, a total of 26.52 km railway track including loop-line, Rooppur Railway Station building, 7 culverts, 13 level crossing gates and signaling-telecom work have been completed.
Sheikh Hasina said they undertook the project to upgrade the Dhaka-Chittagong corridor to a double-line.
Earlier, out of 321 km of this corridor, 249 km double-line construction has been completed, she said.
The project titled “Construction of Dual Gauge Double Rail Line from Akhaura to Laksam and Conversion of Existing Rail Line to Dual Gauge” was taken up with Asian Development Bank and European Investment Bank and self-financing for construction of remaining 72 km double-line.
Saying that Laksam-Cumilla train service started earlier, Sheikh Hasina said that now railway double line construction from Shashidal to Rajapur and from Kasba to Mandbagh has been completed which was inaugurated today.
“The double line on the remaining 33 km route will be completed in June this year, Insha Allah,” she said.
The prime minister also highlighted briefly the development works for railway in the last 14 years.
She said that they have constructed 650 km of new railway lines, converted 280 km of meter gauge to dual gauge and rehabilitated/reconstructed 1,297 km of lines.
Besides, 126 new station buildings and 223 station buildings have been rehabilitated/reconstructed, she said.
In addition, 732 new railway bridges were constructed while 774 railway bridges were rehabilitated or reconstructed alongside rehabilitation of 50 broad gauge and 50 meter gauge passenger coaches.
Sheikh Hasina said they have acquired 106 locomotives, 20 sets of DEMUs, 535 passenger carriages and 516 freight wagons.
The government has developed and modernized signaling system at 130 stations, she said, adding that a total of 142 new trains including Mitali Express have been launched on 44 new and extended routes.
Commuters asked to avoid airport road for BRT work till Saturday midnight
Commuters who need to go towards Mohakhali using Airport road from Airport Station have been asked to avoid the road from 8:00 pm on Thursday to 12:00 am on Saturday night for ongoing road development work of the BRT project.
BRT has issued the special traffic guidelines in this regard due to its ongoing road development works of the BRT project aimed at permanently smoothing the traffic flow.
A notification signed by A.S.M. Elias Shah, project director of the BRT, said that the road development work will continue in two lanes out of four lanes towards Mohakhali from in front of the Airport railway station.
Read more: Traffic alert: Outbound passengers urged to start early for Dhaka airport
It said there is possibility of creating severe traffic jam on the road during the work.
People have been requested not to use the road section except for essential travel during the time mentioned in the notification. Everyone's sympathy and cooperation has also been sought in this regard.
Bus rapid transit is an improved modern bus transit system providing rapid, affordable and comfortable commuting, which operates in dedicated lanes to provide better passenger services.
Read more: UN expert urges Bangladesh to step up efforts to prevent trafficking
Traffic alert: Outbound passengers urged to start early for Dhaka airport
Authorities of Greater Dhaka Sustainable Urban Transport Project (BRT, Gazipur-Airport) has requested outbound passengers – going to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport – to start early, between 6pm today and 6am Sunday.
A press release, signed by ASM Ilias Shah, project director, made the request to avoid possible traffic congestion during the abovementioned period.
Earlier on Wednesday, Dhaka Bus Rapid Transit Company Ltd authorities requested commuters in the capital not to use the route from Khilkhet through airport to Uttara during the same period.
Read more: Traffic alert: Dhaka commuters urged to avoid Airport-Uttara route from tomorrow till Sunday morning
The move came as traffic situation on the Dhaka Airport-Uttara route is expected to worsen due to development work of the BRT project.
Special road development work for the BRT project will be conducted in the Dhaka airport area during November 24 and 27, said a special traffic advisory signed by ASM Ilias Shah, project director of BRT.
Under the circumstances, all public and private vehicles were advised to avoid Dhaka Airport-Uttara route during this period.
Read more: Traffic movement to be restricted at Dhaka Cantonment Monday
Gridlock from Uttara to Mohakhali: Dhaka traffic paralyzed
Commuters in Dhaka have been stuck for hours in traffic jam today (September 13, 2022).
Rain, that started from the morning, caused traffic chaos in several points of Dhaka, including Tongi, Uttara, Airport, Mohakhali, Bijoy Sarani and Bangla Motor areas. Vehicles were seen stalled for hours on the road.
Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) of Uttara Division, Nafiz Kamal Shoibal, said a one-km long tailback was seen from Munno Gate to Milgate area in Tongi and a number of vehicles were passing through with caution due to the dilapidated condition of the road. Potholes have formed on the road due to the ongoing work of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.
Read: Launch school bus services to reduce traffic: DNCC Mayor