It has been nearly a year since the construction works on the integrated Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project began, but the progress of works so far only 20 percent, causing a lot of hassles to residents, commuters and shop owners alike.
“The situation at Moghbazar is chaotic during rush hours, especially with bad and dug-up roads filled with water throughout the year due to leakages in water pipe and overflowing manholes,” says Kazi Abdu Wadud, a banker who takes this route every day to go to his office as he lives at nearby Siddeswari.
He went on: “It’s a lot of trouble for the commuters. So I’d request the authorities to consider constructing this flyover on a high priority as many people are using this road.”
“Some 20 percent of construction works on Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project have so far been competed for various reasons,” project director Nazmul Alam told UNB.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasnia formally inaugurated the flyover project on February 15, 2013 and it is supposed to be completed in two years’ time.
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) and Cooperatives is implementing the Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project.
The estimated cost of the flyover project is around Tk 7.73 billion. The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) is financing Tk 375.25 crore in the project while OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) Tk 196.98 crore and the government of Bangladesh the remaining Tk 200.47 crore.
Officials concerned said the construction work on the project could not be carried out in a faster way since July last due to the huge underground pipelines and cables, installed nearly a decade ago by utility service-providers for city dwellers in and around the project areas.
Some changes in the underground structures of the project have been brought so that utility services do not get hampered, but the changes will not affect the main design of the flyover, the officials said.
“Now the construction work on the flyover is going on in full swing. We hope that the project will be completed by 2015,” Nazmul Alam said.
During a visit to the construction site of the project, the correspondent found that seven pillars of the flyover have so far been installed while ramp is yet to be completed. Construction firms are now busy installing pillars at different points of the project, including Moghbazar, Satrasata and Malibagh areas.
The 8.25-km flyover will have four lanes as it will be three-level pre-stressed Concrete Box Girder Flyover. The minimum vertical clearance from the road crown shall be 5 meters and that from rail crossing shall be 7.5 meters to facilitate the free movement of all types of transport.
The horizontal clearance between consecutives piers shall be up to 35 meter. There shall be 15 ramps for access onto and of the elevated structures.
Australian firm SMEC International and its three local associates — ACE Consultants Limited, SARM Associates Limited and Kranti Associates Limited — are working as consulting firms for the project.
The LGED is implementing two packages – PDMMFP W04 (a length of 2.1 km from Satrasta to Ramna via Moghbazar) and PDMMFP W06 (a length of 2.2 km from Janakantha office in Eskaton to Mouchak via Moghbazar).
Toma Constructions Co, a local construction firm, is implementing the third package – PDMMFP W05 (a length of 3.93 km from Malibagh Chowdhurypara to Razarbagh and Shantinagar).
According to the project configuration, the Danish and Bangladesh joint venture firm, Simplex-Navana, and the Bangladesh-India joint venture firm, MCCC-4 ACL-ODC, will complete the construction in two years, which will expire on February 16, 2015.
The objectives of the flyover project are to ease traffic gridlock in eight intersections — Satrasta, FDC, Moghbazar, Mouchak, Malibagh, Shantinagar, Rampura Chowdhurypara and Ramna thana where the commuters have to spend hours together during travel by vehicles.
Project officials said the flyover which contains a total of 15 ramps is implemented, the traffic movement from north to south and from south to north in the capital will be easier than today.
Nazmul Alam, project director the flyover project, said, “You know Malibagh-Mogbazar is the worst traffic congested area in the city…and of course, the traffic gridlock will ease once the flyover construction is completed.”
Referring to the public sufferings, he said underground utility infrastructures and huge traffic pressure on the road have been affecting construction activities. “Implementing a mega infrastructure project like this one in a built city has to face many challenges.”
Source: UNB Connect