Metropolis Report-
At 11:42 a.m. today, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina officially opened the Bangabandhu Tunnel in Patenga, Chattogram.
Following the tunnel’s inauguration at the Patenga end, a prayer was said.
The PM then went via the tunnel to the south end of Anwara upazila to participate in a rally hosted by the AL Chattogram South District unit.
Among those in attendance at the program were Awami League Presidium Member Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Minister of Information Hasan Mahmud, Minister for Land Affairs Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, Deputy Minister for Education Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, and AL leader Motia Chowdhury.
The Padma Bridge is the first “dream scheme” in the road transport sector, whereas the 3.32km tunnel connects two regions of the country. The “one city, two towns” construction model used for the tunnel was inspired by Shanghai, China.
Anwara Upazila, located south of the river, and Chattogram Port City, located on the north end of the Karnaphuli, are connected by a tunnel.
The Financial and Economic Internal Rates of Return (IRR) for the Tunnel will be 6.19% and 12.49%, respectively. Bangladesh’s GDP is expected to increase by 0.166%.
The main tunnel is 3.32 kilometers long and has two 2.45-kilometer-long, four-lane tubes. In addition, a 727-meter flyover at the Anwara end of the tunnel and two 5.35-kilometer connection roads at the western and eastern terminals are anticipated to improve regional connectivity. Cars can travel through the tunnel at up to 80 km/h. Remarkably, the tunnel is located between 18 and 31 meters below the Karnaphuli River.
The governments of China and Bangladesh contributed a total of Tk 10,689.71 crore to this project. The Exim Bank of China is financing the remaining BDT 6,070.01 crore, with the Bangladeshi government contributing BDT 4,619.70 crore. The tunnel’s construction is the responsibility of China Communication and Construction Company Limited (CCCC). The government of Bangladesh plans to develop a “One City, Two Towns” model on both banks of the Karnaphuli River, similar to Shanghai’s model.
