A traffic signal has been installed on Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover, which is going to open to traffic tomorrow. The photo was taken on Tuesday. — Sanaul Haque
The 8.7 kilometre Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover is opening to traffic tomorrow after years of delayed construction causing untold sufferings to city dwellers.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to open the entire flyover through a video conference at noon, according to officials.
The completion deadline was extended several times because of faulty designs, multiplying the project implementation cost.
During the construction of the flyover beginning in 2013, lack of safety gears and poor traffic management led to fatal accidents that killed at least four construction workers and two others, including a Local Government Engineering Department engineer, were maimed at the construction site.
Cratered roads and broken footpaths, nagging traffic congestion and dust and noise pollution were what made living in the area hell for the past five years.
The situation turned so bad that many people avoided going through the areas covering Moghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Kakrail and Rajarbagh.
Traffic accidents were regular in these areas, which would turn quite impassable even in case of a drizzle.
The High Court on March 26, 2016 asked the authorities concerned to take adequate safety measures in the Moghbazaar-Mouchak flyover area following the death of a worker at the construction site.
Numerous potholes turned into traps for vehicles and pedestrians after rainfall while rainwater remained stagnant for days.
Drivers of CNG-run auto-rickshaws and rickshaw pullers were also unwilling to cross these areas.
Businesspeople incurred losses as many people also avoided shopping malls and other shops located in the areas.
The construction work started in 2013 instead of the original schedule of 2011 while it was scheduled to be completed by December 2014.
The project deadline was extended to December 31, 2015, then to June 2017 and lastly to October this year.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the project work on February 16, 2013 and it was implemented under the supervision of the LGED to ease traffic between the capital’s north and south.
The government increased the project cost for the second time to Tk 1,218.89 crore from Tk 772.7 crore.
The flyover’s original length was 8.25-kilometre which was later extended to 8.7 kilometre with construction of the 450-metre extension from BFDC to Hotel Sonargaon at the cost of Tk 45 crore.
Prolonged construction of the flyover caused citizens to suffer immensely as just after the inauguration, the construction work was shut down due to faulty designs and relocation work of utility pipelines.
Currently, the project’s road repairing works are ongoing in Mouchack, Malibagh, Shantinagar and Razarbagh areas.
The flyover project director, Sushanta Kumar Paul, said that the flyover would open to public on Thursday noon.
He said there would be a traffic signal on the flyover at Mouchak point to facilitate smooth traffic.
The LGED opened the flyover’s Holy Family Hospital to Satrasta intersection portion on March 30, 2016, the portion between Eskaton-Mouchak on September 15, 2016 and the portion between BFDC to Hotel Sonargaon on May 17 this year for traffic.
Simplex-Navana JV constructed the flyover’s Moghbazar intersection, MCCC-Toma JV Ltd the Mouchak intersection part while MCCC-SEL-UDC JV constructed the Banglamotor-Moghbazar-Mouchak interconnection portion.
The project was aided by Saudi Fund for Development and OPEC Fund for International Development providing Tk 776. crore while the government provided Tk 442.7 crore.
Source: New Age
