Dhaka-Ctg highway must be upgraded to 6-lane for handling containers

Chittagong Port is the main gateway for the country’s import-export trade. In the 2024-25 fiscal year, the port handled about 3.2 million 96 thousand 20-foot equivalent containers (TEUs), 96 percent of which were transported via the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

The highway is one of the most important and busiest roads in the country. It carries almost the entire burden of the country’s foreign trade.

However, the capacity of the road could not be increased according to its importance and needs.

Traffic congestion, infrastructural limitations, and poor management on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway have made the transportation of goods time-consuming and expensive.

Poor traffic management has been linked to this, resulting in regular traffic jams, waste of time, and additional costs in transporting goods.

It is to be noted that the construction of the Dhaka-Chittagong highway to four lanes was completed in 2017 after several time and cost increases.

After the upgrade to four lanes, many thought the problem had been solved. In reality, that was not the case.

The traffic pressure on this road is much higher than its capacity, and there are potholes in various parts, no separate lanes for slow-moving vehicles on the highway.

Generally, major infrastructure projects are planned keeping in mind the needs of 50 or 100 years and long-term benefits.

This is the practice followed globally. But in Bangladesh, it is very different. There is a clear lack of foresight and planning in various infrastructure projects.

In some projects, errors remain in the design, while in others, various construction defects are discovered after implementation.

The Roads and Highways Department has started a study to expand the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in 2023.

The study raised the issue of upgrading the highway to six or eight lanes.And it was estimated that about 73 thousand crore taka could be spent on this work.

The current interim government, also nearing the end of its term, is not showing any interest in making major investments. As a result, there is no interest in expanding the highway.

Nationwide transportation of goods by rail is cost-effective and safe for businessmen and government institutions.

For this reason, railways are one of the main means of transporting large-scale import-export-oriented goods, energy, raw materials for infrastructure construction, and food grains.

In addition to expanding the Dhaka-Chittagong highway, a multi-modal transport strategy integrating roads, railways, and waterways must be implemented.

If railways and waterways can be utilized through policy support and efficient management, the pressure on highways will be reduced and the country’s goods transportation system will be more cost-effective and sustainable.