Road transport, bridge divisions get Tk 16,864cr  

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday proposed Tk 16,864 crore in the national budget of FY 2015-16 for road transport and bridges ministry with special focus on completing the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge by 2018, reports BSS.
“We expect to open this bridge for traffic movement by 2018, as a considerable progress has already been made in the construction of the long awaited Padma Bridge with domestic financing,” he said.
The minister proposed Tk 8,953 crore for the bridge division, while Tk 7,911 crore has been allocated for road transport and highways division to improve the country’s infrastructure sector.
The government has already started construction of Metro Rail line to ease the traffic congestion in the city of Dhaka, which is expected to be completed by 2019, the minister told the House.
He said some 61 bridges will be reconstructed under the Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project in order to improve the communication network of the western part of Bangladesh. The construction of 2nd Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti bridges is in progress, he said.
Besides, steps have been taken to construct bridges across the Golachipa, Paira and Kocha rivers along with the plan to construct the 2nd Padma Bridge at Paturia-Goalando point in future, Muhith added.
He said several noteworthy initiatives for easing traffic congestion are: construction of 38.2 km Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway, flyover and underpass at Jahangir Gate in Dhaka, and elevated expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali.
Meanwhile, preliminary design and route survey for the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and from Airport to Jhilmill project have been finalized,  the minister said adding, “construction of Mogbazar-Mouchak flyover is going on in full swing.”
“A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with the China Communication Company Ltd. to construct a tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli River. It will enhance the connectivity between the eastern and the western parts of Chittagong as well as reduce traffic congestion,” he said.
Muhuth said, “We expect to complete the following projects including Eastern
Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project, Dhaka-Chittagong and Joydevpur-Mymensingh Highways four-lane projects, construction of Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russsel bridges on the Barisal-Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway, construction of Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf-Marine Drive (Inani to Sillkhali)-2nd Phase, Up-gradation of Jatrabari-Kanchpur Highway into eight lanes, construction of 7th Bangladesh-China Friendship bridge on the Arial Khan river by FY 2015-16.”
Apart from this, formulation of a number of laws relating to bus transit, road transport and traffic system is underway, the minister informed the House.
He said the government has also taken up a range of projects for re-construction and expansion of roads, bridges and culverts. The BRTC will procure 300 double-decker and 100 articulated buses with the aim of improving the quality of passenger service delivery.
Steps have been taken to make five inactive Motor Vehicle Inspection Centres effective to facilitate automatic issuance of fitness certificates. The government is going to set-up an e-Ticketing clearinghouse to provide uninterrupted transport service in coordination with different transport operators, Muhith said.

Road transport, bridge divisions get Tk 16,864cr

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday proposed Tk 16,864 crore in the national budget of FY 2015-16 for road transport and bridges ministry with special focus on completing the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge by 2018, reports BSS. We expect to open this bridge for traffic movement by 2018, as a considerable progress has already been made in the construction of the long awaited Padma Bridge with domestic financing, he said. The minister proposed Tk 8,953 crore for the bridge division, while Tk 7,911 crore has been allocated for road transport and highways division to improve the countrys infrastructure sector. The government has already started construction of Metro Rail line to ease the traffic congestion in the city of Dhaka, which is expected to be completed by 2019, the minister told the House. He said some 61 bridges will be reconstructed under the Western Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project in order to improve the communication network of the western part of Bangladesh. The construction of 2nd Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti bridges is in progress, he said. Besides, steps have been taken to construct bridges across the Golachipa, Paira and Kocha rivers along with the plan to construct the 2nd Padma Bridge at Paturia-Goalando point in future, Muhith added. He said several noteworthy initiatives for easing traffic congestion are: construction of 38.2 km Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway, flyover and underpass at Jahangir Gate in Dhaka, and elevated expressway from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Kutubkhali. Meanwhile, preliminary design and route survey for the construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and from Airport to Jhilmill project have been finalized, the minister said adding, construction of Mogbazar-Mouchak flyover is going on in full swing. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed with the China Communication Company Ltd. to construct a tunnel underneath the Karnaphuli River. It will enhance the connectivity between the eastern and the western parts of Chittagong as well as reduce traffic congestion, he said. Muhuth said, We expect to complete the following projects including Eastern Bangladesh Bridge Improvement Project, Dhaka-Chittagong and Joydevpur-Mymensingh Highways four-lane projects, construction of Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russsel bridges on the Barisal-Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway, construction of Coxs Bazar-Teknaf-Marine Drive (Inani to Sillkhali)-2nd Phase, Up-gradation of Jatrabari-Kanchpur Highway into eight lanes, construction of 7th Bangladesh-China Friendship bridge on the Arial Khan river by FY 2015-16. Apart from this, formulation of a number of laws relating to bus transit, road transport and traffic system is underway, the minister informed the House. He said the government has also taken up a range of projects for re-construction and expansion of roads, bridges and culverts. The BRTC will procure 300 double-decker and 100 articulated buses with the aim of improving the quality of passenger service delivery. Steps have been taken to make five inactive Motor Vehicle Inspection Centres effective to facilitate automatic issuance of fitness certificates. The government is going to set-up an e-Ticketing clearinghouse to provide uninterrupted transport service in coordination with different transport operators, Muhith said.