Dhaka Bypass Expressway set to redefine connectivity

The 48-kilometre Dhaka Bypass Expressway, widely described as a “Golden Ribbon” cutting through the heart of Dhaka, is emerging as one of the most significant infrastructure projects undertaken under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), promising to transform connectivity, trade, mobility and economic growth.

Stretching across the outskirts of the capital, the fully access-controlled expressway is expected to ease chronic congestion in Dhaka while strengthening country’s strategic connectivity with China under the BRI framework, which Dhaka formally joined in 2016. Constructed by Chinese firm Sichuan Road and Bridge Group Company under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, the project is increasingly being viewed as a symbol of deepening Bangladesh-China cooperation.

Project sources said work progress reached 73.5 per cent by the end of April, while the tentative deadline for full completion has now been pushed to the end of December this year. Initial construction works commenced in November 2020.
Sources involved in the project also said Middle East war has created shortages of bitumen, gravel and fuel, while problems related to the import of construction materials have also slowed work progress.

For decades, Dhaka has struggled with crippling traffic congestion that drains productivity, slows trade and weakens competitiveness. Economists and transport experts estimate that traffic gridlock costs Bangladesh nearly Tk 370 billion annually, equivalent to around 11 per cent of the national budget.

A major reason behind the congestion is that thousands of heavy vehicles travelling between northern and southern regions are forced to pass through the capital city despite having no destination there.

According to the project, once fully operational, the expressway will connect the Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram highways, creating an uninterrupted freight corridor linking the industrial belt of Gazipur with Chattogram Port, the country’s principal maritime gateway. The route from Bhogra to Madanpur, which currently takes several exhausting hours during peak congestion, is expected to be reduced to between 30 and 60 minutes.

Transport analysts believe the impact on trade logistics will be profound after the completion of the project. Dr Md Hadiuzzaman of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) said the bypass would remove a substantial volume of traffic from Dhaka’s road network.

“Around 30 per cent of vehicles crossing Dhaka do not actually have business in the city. If we can divert those vehicles, the traffic pressure on Dhaka will be significantly reduced,” he said.

According to him, the expressway could contribute nearly 0.8 per cent to Bangladesh’s GDP through increased efficiency, lower transport costs and improved mobility.

The economic significance extends far beyond congestion relief. Faster movement of goods between industrial zones and ports is expected to boost exports, strengthen supply chains and attract additional foreign investment into manufacturing sectors, particularly garments, pharmaceuticals and logistics.

The Dhaka Bypass Expressway is now being seen as one of the clearest examples of how Chinese-backed infrastructure is reshaping country’s connectivity landscape.

Project Manager Yang Jian said Chinese technology and construction systems were being directly applied to the project, including innovative road-building methods unfamiliar in Bangladesh.

“Our construction methods are Chinese as well. And the equipment is Chinese too. Cement stabilised sand is a brand new technology. This is something unbelievable in Bangladesh,” he said.

Unlike traditional Bangladeshi highways, which mainly relied on flexible pavements vulnerable to monsoon damage, the bypass uses a semi-rigid asphalt pavement structure widely applied in China. Engineers adapted the design to Bangladesh’s delta terrain by introducing cement-stabilised sand technology using locally available materials.

Rony, a senior Bangladeshi surveyor working on the project, said local engineers initially faced difficulties adapting to advanced Chinese systems and technologies.

“First time when I received this GPS, everything was in Chinese language. My boss taught me and now I understand,” he said.
He described the expressway structure as resembling “a multi-layered cake”, explaining how each engineering layer contributes to strength, durability and resilience against water infiltration and settlement.

The project has also become a training ground for Bangladeshi engineers and technicians exposed to modern Chinese construction methods and precision surveying systems.

Officials involved in the project say this transfer of knowledge could have long-term implications for Bangladesh’s infrastructure sector by improving local technical capacity.

The PPP structure of the expressway has further strengthened its attractiveness for Bangladesh. Under the arrangement, the government secured a major infrastructure asset while minimising immediate fiscal pressure, with significant financing and technical support coming from Chinese enterprises.

Dr Hadiuzzaman described the arrangement as a “win-win situation”. “The government does not have to invest much initially because the investment and expertise are being provided by the Chinese side. Bangladesh is also gaining technology and international experience,” he said.

Beyond economic gains, he said, the project is expected to improve road safety, an issue of growing concern in Bangladesh where approximately 20,000 people die in road accidents every year.

The fully enclosed design of the bypass, combined with restrictions on slow-moving vehicles such as motorcycles and CNG auto-rickshaws, is intended to reduce collision risks and improve driving discipline.

“We cannot compromise with safety,” one project official said, stressing that high-speed mobility must be accompanied by strict traffic management standards.

Yet the road to progress has not been entirely smooth. Deputy Project Manager Al Amin acknowledged that negotiations with local communities have sometimes proved difficult, particularly regarding demands for additional underpasses and access points.
“Our local people are used to traditional highways where they can cross from anywhere,” he said. “We are trying to negotiate because this is the first access-controlled expressway in the country.”

The project has also faced challenges linked to land acquisition, construction in densely populated areas and coordination with government institutions near schools, mosques and local administrative offices.

Despite these obstacles, progress has accelerated steadily. An 18-kilometre section from Bhogra to Purbachal has already opened to traffic, providing commuters and transport operators with a first glimpse of high-speed travel standards rarely experienced in Bangladesh.
Drivers using the route have reported dramatically reduced travel times and smoother movement compared with congested urban roads.
The expressway is also strengthening Bangladesh’s role within emerging regional transport networks connecting South Asia with China and wider Asian markets. Improved connectivity is expected to facilitate trade flows, reduce logistics bottlenecks and create new industrial opportunities along transport corridors.

For many Bangladeshis working on the project, the expressway represents more than concrete and asphalt. It reflects aspirations for modernity, mobility and economic advancement.

“Maybe someday some change will be there because of the new generation,” one project worker remarked while observing construction activities along the route.

As the Dhaka Bypass Expressway moves towards its revised completion target at the end of December, the “Golden Ribbon” is increasingly being viewed as a landmark achievement under Bangladesh-China cooperation — a project that not only connects highways and industrial zones, but also bridges economies, expertise and ambitions between the two nations under the BRI.