Dhaka's crippling traffic, driven by rapid urbanisation and poor infrastructure cannot simply afford any more highways passing through it, even if those are for the sake of improving regional connectivity. In that case, such highways, if built, should be the elevated types on which the high speed, cross-national vehicular traffic would pass over the city without adding to the city's existing traffic chaos. In this connection, the incumbent BNP government is learnt to have given the go-ahead to the proposed 39-km Dhaka East-West Elevated Expressway (DEWEE) public-private partnership (ppp) project which would connect three major national highways, namely, the Dhaka-Aricha, the Dhaka-Mawa and Dhaka-Chattogram highways. As envisaged, the project is expected to improve regional connectivity and provide faster access to the Padma Bridge.
Evidently, this would allow vehicles from eastern and south-western
regions to bypass the capital city. On this score, a high-level stakeholder consultation workshop organised by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) was held recently in the city where an update of the previous feasibility report on the DEWEE project was discussed. Notably, the cost of the DEWEE in the updated feasibility report has been estimated at around Tk430 billion with the suggestion that there would be a change in the original design so as to develop an elevated corridor facilitating high-speed travel of up to 120 km per hour. It is worthwhile to note at this point that the project was initiated 15 years ago to alleviate traffic congestion in the capital city by providing a signal-free expressway linking major adjacent highways. So, it is reassuring that finally the project is under active considering of the incumbent government for its execution. If implemented, it would no doubt bring about a transformative change in the transport sector of Bangladesh. However, given the not-so-agreeable experiences of inordinate delays in the case of some mega infrastructure projects leading to irrational
cost-escalation in implementing those in the past, it needs to be ensured that DEWEE is not weighed down by such encumbrances.
This is why the Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam who attended the workshop as the chief guest pointed out that such delays in project implementation including land acquisition often increase costs and turn development projects into an economic burden. Hurdles like bureaucratic tangles and attendant corruption also stand in the way of timely implementation of such projects. Some officials of the DEWEE project reportedly told the media that depreciation of BDT against USD and design improvement are likely to raise the project cost.
Aware that such constraints have delayed the execution of big projects in the past, the incumbent government is expected to avoid such impediments on way to implementation of the DEWEE project. However, once the DEWEE project is implemented by braving the challenges, traffic from 20 districts will be able to move between the north and west without entering the Dhaka city, according to the project proposal. What is more, the proposed expressway will be able to connect the Asian Highway, a cooperative project among countries in Asia and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to improve their connectivity via highways systems. Other potential benefits of the project, which is designed for a 120km/h top speed in some sections and 80km/h in others will enhance the mobility of goods and services helping reduce transportation costs and boosting trade efficiency. Last but not least, the project's contribution to the environment and quality of life would be immense through reduced city traffic that would bring down levels of pollution and noise in the city. That would desirably lead to a healthier living environment.
