State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Md. Razib Ahsan -File Photo

DHAKA, May 05, 2026 (BSS)- State Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Md. Razib Ahsan today called on the development project stakeholders to implement the works in such a manner that there would be no dispute about the project and maintain full transparency. 

“All major projects in the country shall must be implemented in a manner that is effective, visually sound and beneficial for the people, maintaining transparency while remaining free from controversies,” he said 

Delivering the special guest’s speech, he made the remarks at a stakeholder consultation workshop on the proposed Dhaka East-West Elevated Expressway (DEWEE) Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project.

The workshop was held at Ballroom-2 of Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargaon in the capital at noon.

The state minister said DEWEE is not merely a road construction project, but a strategic initiative for urban management and economic advancement.

“Vehicles from the eastern and southwestern districts of the country currently have to endure hours of traffic congestion at the entry points to Dhaka, particularly on the Mayor Hanif Flyover. This project would play a significant role in alleviating such severe congestion,” he said.

Highlighting the present reality of Dhaka city, he said traffic jams are causing considerable losses in time, fuel and productivity on a daily basis. 

To address these challenges, it is necessary to develop an efficient, modern and high-speed transport infrastructure which the proposed expressway project is featuring, he added.

“The proposed elevated expressway, approximately 39 kilometers in length, will connect the eastern and western parts of Dhaka, bringing new momentum to urban mobility. Once implemented, it is expected to significantly reduce travel time and increase vehicle speed manifold,” he added.

He also said the project would play a crucial role in goods transportation and intercity connectivity.

Referring to challenges in implementing large projects in Bangladesh, he said such projects are often associated with lack of coordination among ministries, delays in execution and complications in land acquisition, which led to extend project timelines and increase unnecessary project costs.

He urged experts from different sectors to ensure that land acquisition is completed within the stipulated timeframe to prevent cost escalation.
The workshop was arranged with joint collaboration of Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and Bangladesh Bridge Authority.

Secretary of Bridges Division Mohammad Abdur Rouf in the presided over the workshop.

Officials of concerned and project implementation related ministries and offices along with academicians, project engineers, among others, were present at the event.

Mohammad Abdur Rouf delivered the vote of thanks to the participants 

Earlier, chief engineer of the DEWEE project Kazi Ferdous Alam delivered the speech of welcome and presented a visual overview of the project.

Gopala Nadim Pali, team leader of the project, briefed the project details.