C T Online Desk: Work on the Bangabandhu Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River progressed at pace during the Covid-19 pandemic, and 77.5% of the construction has already been completed.
The bridge is expected to open for traffic by the end of this year. It aims to significantly ease the pressure of traffic on the Karnaphuli Bridge by providing an alternate route across the river for those travelling from Chittagong to Cox’s Bazar.
However, the tunnel will fail to fulfil its potential if problems with the approach to its entrance, operation, and maintenance are not resolved, according to police and government sources.
Chittagong Metropolitan Police sources said multiple roads converge at the entrance to the tunnel, which may cause a severe bottleneck once it opens for traffic. They urged the authorities to fix the issue before opening the tunnel.
Project officials said they have already sent a proposal on management, operation, and maintenance (MOM) of the tunnel to the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA).
“Complexities related to operation and traffic management will be solved as soon as possible,” said Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, chief engineer of BBA.
Officials said the Anowara side of the Karnaphuli would be significantly developed alongside the construction of the tunnel, turning Chittagong into a “two-town city” like Shanghai.
Flaws in the approach
The BBA has set a new traffic plan to overcome traffic management challenges and reap optimum benefits from the tunnel as the current design is flawed, according to CMP.
In the current design, five roads – Outer Ring Road, Kathgarh Road, Elevated Expressway, Airport Road, and Patenga Beach Road – come together at the entrance to the Patenga end of the tunnel.
A CMP report said the narrow entrance point will create a traffic bottleneck.
“We have already formed a committee to redesign the traffic management system at both ends of the tunnel and it is expected to be completed by 2023,” said Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, chief engineer of BBA.
How will the tunnel be maintained?
According to the plan, the BBA will float an international tender to sign a MOM contract after finalizing a variety of documents, including the standard operation procedure (SOP) for the tunnel.
“Such a tunnel is very new in Bangladesh, so it is taking a little time to finalize MOM and SOP,” said Project Director Harun-or-Rashid.
BBA Chief Engineer Quazi Muhammad Ferdous said they were working on finalizing the SOP as they wish to float the MOM contract tender as soon as possible.
He added that the authorities were in the process of estimating the management and maintenance cost, but he declined to provide a probable figure.
According to the feasibility study on the tunnel, which was done in 2013, the operational cost of the tunnel will be about $3.9 million per year, with a replacement cost of $1.9 million every five years. Considering an inflation rate of 6.4% per year, the BBA is likely to spend over Tk40 crore each year on operating the tunnel.
When asked why the maintenance was much higher than for a bridge, BBA officials said the tunnel requires specialized security and oxygen supply systems, among other needs.
The government is likely to pay additional subsidies for abnormal maintenance work due to accidents or natural disasters, they added.
Toll collection and vehicle movement
According to the plan, the MOM contractor will receive fixed payments as well as tolls from the tunnel. The payments are not dependent on the tolls collected.
According to the feasibility study, the estimated toll revenues should be sufficient to finance the management, operation and maintenance of the tunnel.
A total of 17,260 vehicles are expected to use the tunnel each day.
The feasibility study includes traffic from nearby economic zones, rapid urbanization and regional connectivity through the tunnel.
China Communication and Construction Company has been constructing the 9.3km tunnel, about 3.4km of which would be under the river. China Harbor, another Chinese venture, is involved in building a nearby economic zone.
In the economic zone on 760 acres of land, 60 Chinese companies have offered to invest around one $1billion. More than 100,000 people are expected to have employment opportunities.
