The construction works of the highly anticipated Karnaphuli Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River aimed at connecting the town of Chattogram to the southern part of the district are expected to be completed by December this year.

Project officials hoped construction work on the tunnel, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, which is named after the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, would be completed on schedule unless there was a further disruption by Covid-19. situation.

About 77.5% of the tunnel’s construction work will be completed by 2021, officials said.

“Two tubes are being constructed within an 11-meter space so that heavy vehicles can easily pass through the tunnel,” said project manager Harunur Rashid Chowdhury.

“We have completed the excavation work. Now roads were being built at the level of the tubes,” the project manager told New Age.

China Communications Construction Company Ltd is working as the contractor for the project.

“Construction work has been hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet we have continued the work as we try to complete the work by this year. However, it will be difficult for us to complete the work on time if the Covid-19 situation worsens further,” the project manager said.

Project officials said the construction of 19,616 segments for the tunnel has been completed at the tunnel segment casting plant in Zhenjiang in China’s Jiangsu province. The segments have already reached Chattogram and are being installed at the tunnel.

According to project officials, the length of the tunnel under construction will be 3.40 kilometers with an access road of 5.35 kilometers along 727 meters of a bridge connecting the main city, the port and the western side of the river with its east side.

The tunnel will connect the proposed Asian highway to the Dhaka-Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway and reduce the distance between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar by 40 km. Vehicles in this tunnel will travel at a speed of 80 km/h.

On June 9, 2014, during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to China, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Bangladesh and China on the construction of the tunnel.

But they could not start the construction work, because the Chinese bank Exim, with which a loan agreement was signed, did not release the funds.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges signed a G-to-G agreement with the Chinese company in June 2015 for the construction of a two-lane tunnel. In September 2015, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved China Communications Construction Company Limited for Tk 8,446.64 crore project works.

The project was expected to be completed by 2020. However, in 2018, the duration of the project was extended to December 2022 and the cost of the project was revised to Tk 10,374 crore.

The Exim Bank of China is providing a firm loan of Tk 5,913 crore with an interest rate of 2% for the project while the Government of Bangladesh is funding the rest.

Muhammad Rashidul Hasan, director and associate professor of the department of urban and regional planning at Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, told New Age that the construction of the tunnel under the Karnaphuli River was a wise decision as it would not there was no possibility of building another one. bridge over the river as seagoing vessels arrive at Chattogram Port via the river.

“We will get many benefits after the construction of the tunnel. It will connect the town of Chattogram to the adjacent upazilas. The tunnel will reduce pressure from residents of Chattogram town and create opportunities in adjacent upazilas,” he said.

Md Ahid Siraj Chowdhury Swapan, director of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told New Age that the tunnel would also bring more economic benefits to the country, including attracting more foreign direct investment.

“The country’s business depends on a good transportation system. After the construction of the tunnel, communication and connectivity will increase. There is another port in Teknaf besides Chattogram port. Businesses will be able to easily transport their goods to other parts of the country,” he said.

Professor Sadiqul Islam of CUET’s civil engineering department told New Age that the structural design of the tunnel project was spot on as he had seen a similar project in Japan earlier.

“I have visited the Karnaphuli tunnel several times. The work was going perfectly,” he said.

A total of 5.35 km of access road is under construction at the western and eastern ends of the tunnel. A toll plaza is under construction on the Anwara side.

Officials hoped that around 50 lakh vehicles would use the tunnel in the first year of its inauguration.

“There is a possibility of congestion at the toll after the tunnel is put into service for traffic. Authorities must take initiatives for proper traffic management,” Sadiqul said.