Plan to widen Ctg road to ease gridlock
Kapashgola Road .Photo: STAR
Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) will widen Kapashgola Road up to 60-foot in four lanes with a total length of 2.19km stretching from Bahodderhat intersection to Gani Bakery Intersection at an estimated cost of Tk 40.18 crore, said the sources at CDA. With a view to easing gridlock in the port city, Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) at a meeting on August 25 approved the Kapashgola Road Widening and Improvement Project to be financed by the government. Under the widening and development project existing Kapashgola road through a densely populated area would be developed as a four-lane one with a width of 50-foot including a two-foot centre divider. The road would have two five-foot footpath-cum drains on both the sides. Five RCC box culverts will also be constructed on the road. The widened and developed Kapashgola Road would facilitate smooth vehicular movement from Kaptai, Kalurghat, Mohra Industrial area to city centre of New Market through Chawk Bazar and in front of Chittagong College. It would also form a part of a main road from Bahodderhat to Agrabad Barik Building intersection en route to New Market and Sadarghat. At present the road that stretches from Bahodderhat intersection to Chittagong Airport through Agrabad Commercial Area is considered as the lone main road of the port city. The road, which is also known as CDA Avenue or the Asian Highway, can hardly bear the pressure of vehicles and witnesses a serious gridlock throughout the day, particularly during the rush hours of traffic in the morning and late afternoon. Despite widening and development of Sirajuddoula Road at a cost of Tk 24 crore, the 20-year old narrow Kapashgola Road stood as a bottleneck in developing the second main road of the city. Sources said widening and developing the Kapashgola road would also develop a good communication linkage of Muradpur and Bahodderhat with Chawk Bazar, Bohodderhat, Chittagong College and Chittagong Medical College areas. After completion of the road the vehicles from Muradput and Sholoshahar intersections also would be able to reach Sirajuddoula Road and Anderkilla after passing easily through Chawk Bazar intersection and in front of Chittagong College where unbearable gridlock hampers both vehicular and public movement until midnight everyday. The road will reduce travel time, distance and save the fuel. CDA Chairman Abdus Salam was not available for comment as he was on leave to perform Umrah. Sources said Tk 28.69 crore, out of the total budget of Tk 40.18 crore, would be spent for acquisition of 2.10 hectares of land and compensation. Sources said engineering section of CDA has asked the planning section not to give permission further for construction of any sort of private structures along the road at that point. The planning section is also taking steps accordingly, they said. Roads and Highway Department acquired land along some one kilometer of the road from Bahodderhat intersection to Jangi Shah Mazar in 1954 for widening the Kapashgola road up to 75 feet that are now occupied by a section of people, they said.
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