Aimed at easing the capital’s traffic movement between Mirpur and Shahjalal International Airport and Gulshan areas, the Mirpur-Airport Road flyover opens to public today.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the flyover.
The Tk 200-crore structure stretches from Matikata at Dhaka Cantonment to Airport Road at Zia Colony. The length of the flyover is 1.8 kilometres, including the length of four landing and climbing ramps.
The 15.5-metre-wide flyover has four lanes. It has a down-ramp opposite Radisson Hotel, an up-ramp from Uttara, a down-ramp to Banani and a down-ramp to Mirpur.
Presently, many people from Mirpur and Pallabi have to take an 11-km detour through Bijoy Sarani or Agargaon to go to the airport.
Now by using the flyover, they will travel only a three-kilometre distance from Mirpur-12 to the airport across Dhaka Cantonment, said Brig Gen Abu Syed Md Masud, project director of the flyover.
In about 20 minutes, commuters will be able to travel to Uttara, Badda, Banani and Gulshan areas without facing any military checkpoints, he added.
Similarly, people coming from the airport and willing to go to Mirpur or Pallabi will also benefit from the flyover.
Noted civil engineer Prof Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, however, said it will help passengers reduce travel distance only after the completion of the Kuril elevated interchange.
Prof Md Shamsul Hoque, who teaches transportation engineering at Buet and is involved in several roadway development schemes in the capital, said such a short-length flyover (overpass) would partially ease up “only the local traffic congestion”, not that of the whole city.
Such overpasses, including the ones at Mohakhali, Banani and Tejgaon, will not make any tangible improvement in overall traffic gridlock until a mass transport system, such as a metro rail, is installed, he added.
Commuters from Banani and Gulshan will be able to go to Mirpur by taking the link bridge on the west of Banani overpass.
The army’s Special Works Organisation started the work on January 25, 2011, and has completed it three months before the deadline.
Mir Aktar Hossain Limited has worked as the construction contractor of the flyover with local design consultants and materials. (Source)
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