The Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highway will be expanded into a four-lane road, the minister announced
The minister acknowledged that the highway is accident-prone.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam has announced that the government has taken up a plan to upgrade the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highway to four lanes.
He made the statement on Thursday while responding to a question in parliament.
According to the minister, a 26.21-kilometre stretch of the highway has already received approval under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) initiative as part of the Highway Improvement Phase One, with completion targeted for 2029.
He noted that the approved segment includes a 2.6-kilometre flyover, while feasibility studies are ongoing for the remaining nearly 48 kilometres. Talks are also underway with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) over potential financing.
The minister expressed hope that a decision on upgrading the rest of the highway to four lanes would be made soon. He acknowledged that the route is prone to accidents, adding that several safety measures have already been implemented in high-risk areas.
The call to widen the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar highway has long persisted due to its high accident rate. The 159-kilometre corridor has been the subject of multiple feasibility studies over the years.
One such study, conducted between 2013 and 2015 by a Swedish consulting firm, estimated the project cost at approximately Tk10,000 crore.
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