Purbachal Expressway (Bengali: পূর্বাচল এক্সপ্রেসওয়ে), officially the Sheikh Hasina Avenue (Bengali: শেখ হাসিনা সরণি), is a 12.5-kilometre-long (7.8 mi), 14 lane expressway in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[1] This expressway connects Purbachal to eastern Dhaka.
 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 300 feet road Purbachal link road | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority | ||||
| Length | 12.5 km (7.8 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Kuril Flyover, Khilkhet Thana | |||
| East end | Kanchan Bridge, Rupganj Upazila | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | Bangladesh | |||
| Major cities | Dhaka | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
History edit
In 2005, a proposal involving development for project of Purbachal was passed. In that proposal an eight-lane expressway was mentioned. But Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) started the expressway project with a four-lane road in 2013 because of fund shortage. RAJUK built the link road with Tk 300 crore. In 2015 Detailed Area Plan passed by ECNEC. In the new plan a road with 100-foot canal on the both side of road was added. For this road project a budget of Tk 5,287 crore was mentioned. After completing the existing project,[2] To expand the road into 8-lane expressway, government had to reshape the project in November 2018. The budget for the project was revised to Tk 10,330 crore.[3] For the revision and canal the 300 feet road would be built as 235 feet.[4] It had been decided to reconstruct the expressway by Bangladesh Army instead of RAJUK.[5] The expressway was inaugurated by Sheikh Hasina on 14 November 2023 from her official residence at Ganabhaban, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.[6]
Specifications edit
Under the project, canals, walkways, U-loops, multiple bridges for crossing the canal, multiple foot overbridges for expressway crossing, sluice gates, water bus stops and sewer lines was constructed for the expressway.[7]
Connectivity edit
An expressway under construction named Dhaka Bypass Expressway will connect Gazipur and Narayanganj district through Purbachal Expressway.[8] Seven stations of MRT Line 1 will be built on the expressway.[9] The proposed two link roads will connect the expressway with Madani Avenue.[10]
Issue edit
MRT Line 1 will have seven stations on the expressway which will be on elevated line. Before construction began, it was known that the expressway might be damaged during the construction of the stations. MM Ehsan Jamil, director of the expressway construction project, claimed that he had demanded the metro authority to construct seven stations in Purbachal section underground. But it became impossible as the construction contract with JICA was done before that. Therefore, he suggested to start the work on the eastern part of MRT Line 1 with the construction of the expressway earlier to avoid damage to the expressway, but it could not be done due to various issues. Later, 4 meters space was left in the median strip of the expressway for the construction of the metro.[11] Later the secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division assured that the construction of the line would be done in a coordinated manner so as not to cause major damage to the expressway. He also informed that the pillar of the line will be built on the median strip and the two columns of the station will be built on the green space on both sides of the expressway so that no space on the road will be used.[12]
References edit
- ^ Asif Mahmud Ove (19 January 2022). "Work on the Purbachal Expressway continues". bdnews24.com.
- ^ "Purbachal: An extension of chaotic Dhaka?". The Daily Star. 9 June 2021.
- ^ Mehedi Al Amin (22 February 2021). "Purbachal road: Planners' myopia and our sufferings". The Business Standard.
- ^ Dutta, Arup. "Purbachal 300 feet road losing its character". Prothom Alo.
- ^ "Purbachal Link Road: Service roads not complete in 13 years". Daily Sun. 19 November 2017.
- ^ Express, The Financial. "PM opens dev projects including two expressways". The Financial Express. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Islam, Nurul (25 July 2018). "নামেই ৩০০ ফুট". Daily Inqilab (in Bengali).
- ^ Mamun, Shohel (26 December 2019). "Construction work of Dhaka Bypass begins on Thursday". Dhaka Tribune.
- ^ "কাজ শেষ হওয়ার পর আবার কাটতে হবে পূর্বাচলের এক্সপ্রেসওয়ে". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
- ^ Islam, Jahidul (7 April 2023). "Purbachal Expressway-Madani Ave link roads planned for improved connectivity". The Business Standard. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ^ Hasan, Rashedul (19 January 2023). "কাজ শেষ হওয়ার পর আবার কাটতে হবে পূর্বাচলের এক্সপ্রেসওয়ে". Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ Hossain Dolon, Delwar (27 February 2023). "মেট্রোরেলে পূর্বাচল হাইওয়ের কতটা ক্ষতি হবে, কী বলছে কর্তৃপক্ষ". Dhakamail.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 July 2023.