DHAKA, Jan 18, 2021 (BSS) – The 3.32-kilometre long tunnel under
the Karnaphuli River is expected to be ready for vehicular movements
by 2022.
“The overall progress of Karnaphuli Tunnel reaches 62 percent and
the financial progress rose to 56.80 percent. Once completed, the
tunnel will be a part of Asian Highway,” Project Director (PD)
Engineer Harunur Rashid Chowdhury told BSS here today.
He said the total length of the proposed first ever four-lane
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman tunnel will be around 9.39
kilometres, including 3.32 kilometres of the main tunnel, adding that
the total length of the approach road between western and eastern side
will be 5.35 kilometres alongside 727 metres of over bridge (Viaduct).
The project director said the length of tunnel tube will be
2.45-km, while 10.80 diametres inside the tube is fixed and vertical
clearance inside the tunnel is 4.90 metres.
According to the project details, 104 metres boring of the second
tunnel tube has been completed so far till yesterday, while
construction work of all 19,616 segments were completed in Zhenjiang
city of Jiangsu province in China on December 31, 2020.
Besides, experts were making the segments rejected earlier there
and 15,784 segments were brought in Chattogram site and 9,784 and 416
segments were installed in the under construction first tunnel and
second tube respectively, it said.
Construction work of substructure for 727 meters viaduct was
finished and superstructure work of 142 pre-febricated box girders out
of 203 was ended.
Meanwhile, 115 pre-febricated box girders were installed in between
1-13 spans.
Harun-ur-Rashid hoped that the installations of rings in these
tubes will be finished by next May or June, if weather remains
favorable and no natural calamity takes place.
The two tubes comprised of four lanes and each tube measures 35
feet wide and 16 feet high. After completion of the project, it will
greatly improve the traffic conditions in Chattogram and promote
economic development of the country.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and President of China Xi
Jinping laid foundation stone of the tunnel on October 14, 2017.
Later, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the boring work of the
tunnel on February 24, 2019.
The estimated cost of the tunnel is Taka 10,374.42 crores, where
Chinese Exim Bank will provide 5,913.19 crores.
The Chinese firm, China Communication Construction Company Ltd
(CCCC), was appointed as consultant for construction of the tunnel.
The tunnel will connect Chattogram Port and Anowara Upazila and is
expected to make communication between Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar
easier with reducing traffic congestion on two bridges over the
Karnaphuli River.