Bangladesh
Tunnel Bangabandhu Tunnel ready for vehicular traffic
Own correspondent, Dhaka, 23 August 2023: Bangladesh is going to enter the first tunnel era in South Asia. And just two months later, the new dream gate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli river is going to open. The tunnel is now completely ready for vehicular movement.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will officially inaugurate it on October 28. The authorities have expressed hope that traffic will start through the tunnel from then on. 98 percent of the construction work of this tunnel under the Karnaphuli river connecting Patenga of Chittagong with Anwara Upazila of South Chittagong has been completed. Now the last minute beautification work is going on. 12 types of vehicles can travel through the tunnel by paying toll. No rickshaws, cycles, motorcycles, autorickshaws and any three-wheeler vehicles will be allowed to ply.
This tunnel has been constructed in two separate tubes under the river Karnaphuli in Chittagong at a cost of 10 thousand 374 crores under the priority based projects of the present government. It is the first under-river tunnel in South Asia. The current government took the tunnel project to connect the two banks of Karnaphuli to build 'one city to town' on the model of China's Shanghai. The length of the main tunnel with two tubes from Patenga to Anwara on the other side of Karnaphuli is 3.43 km. The length of the tunnel tube is 2.45 kilometers and the inner diameter is 10.80 meters. It will take maximum 6 minutes to reach from one end of the river through the tunnel to the other end.
On February 24, 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the boring work of the first tunnel tube. Last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially inaugurated a tube of this tunnel on November 26 last year. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the entire tunnel now that the work of the second tube is 100% complete.
Project Director of Bangabandhu Tunnel Project Md. Harunur Rashid said that all types of construction works of Bangabandhu Tunnel have been completed 100%. The tunnel is now fully ready for traffic. Now the last minute beautification works are going on. Other works including connecting roads at both ends of the tunnel are also completely completed. Vehicles will be able to move through the tunnel soon after the inauguration. Toll rates have already been fixed for vehicular movement.
