Currently road communication between Dhaka and Chittagong is served by the 231 km long 4-lane Dhaka to Chittagong National Highway (N1). It is also part of the Trans-Asian Highway network.
According to a study of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2013, nearly 90% of the country's export-import goods are transported through the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. 60% of the vehicles using the highway carry goods while 27% carry passengers. The number of transports on the route will increase 1.5 times or double in the next 5 years.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the proposal in December 2015. As per decision of the Cabinet body, the Dhaka-Chittagong Expressway will be implemented through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis.
The Road Transport and Bridges Ministry finalize the design on September 2016. Earlier, the Planning Commission approved this project in April 2013.
The SMEC International Pty. Ltd. of Australia had conducted the feasibility study at a cost of Tk 97.876 crore over the last two years (from July 2013-March 2015). The Bangladesh government and ADB funded this study.
The cost of Dhaka-Chittagong six-lane new expressway has been estimated at Taka 70,000 crore. This 225 km expressway will begin from Kanchpur, a key entry point to the capital city, and end in Salimpur on the outskirts of the port city. It will have 7 interchanges and around 30% of the expressway will be elevated.
The government has already initiated to talk to the investors to construct Dhaka-Chittagong expressway under the PPP scheme. If the expressway is made totally elevated, the project cost will be $8.6 billion. But the cost will drop to $ 3.4 billion if made at-grade elevated.
The government plans to start the construction works of the expressway from January 2018.
Length : 225 km.
Vehicle Underpass : 44
Underpass : 64
Flyovers/Interchanges : 7
Rest Area : 3
Cost : $ 8.6 billion
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