DHAKA,  – Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the government has a plan to open a part of Dhaka Elevated Expressway from Kawla to Tajgaon for vehicular movement in the next year.

He said this while visiting the progress of construction works of Dhaka Elevated Expressway in Banani area here.

Quader, also Awami League General Secretary, said the 19.73 kilometer Dhaka Elevated Expressway is being implemented in three phases.

In first phase, the project is being implemented from Kawla, near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, to Banani railway station, the second phase from Banani railway station to Maghbazar rail crossing and the third phase from Maghbazar rail crossing to Kutubkhali on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, he said.

The minister said physical progress of first phase now stood at 66.25 percent, second phase at 21.50 percent and third phase at 2.33 percent while overall progress of the project is now 30.50 percent.

The project’s route has been specified from Kawla via Kuril-Banani-Mahakhali-Tejgaon-Maghbazar-Kamalapur-Sayedabad-Jatrabari to Kutubkhali on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway.

The project cost is around Taka 8,940 crore.

Bridges Division Secretary Md. Abu Bakr Siddique, Bangladesh Bridge Authority Chief Engineer Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, Project Director AHM Akhter Hossain and concerned official of the project were present on the occasion.