Government seeks Japanese investment to expand Chattogram-Cox’s Bazar highway to six lanes

The government will seek assistance from Japan to conduct a feasibility study for constructing a six lane highway between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar. At least four feasibility studies have previously been conducted for this important road project, but none materialized. The project is among the key initiatives scheduled for discussion during Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to Japan.

During his first visit to Cox’s Bazar as prime minister on June 13, he pledged to expand the highway to six lanes. Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed had also made the same promise several times during election campaigns before becoming a member of parliament. Previous heads of government, ministers and lawmakers made similar commitments, but none achieved success.

The government now hopes for positive news. Securing funding from Japan would move the project one step closer to implementation. However, it will take at least four years for construction to begin.

According to the Economic Relations Division, the government will seek 3.83 billion Japanese yen during the prime minister’s visit to Japan for engineering services under the second phase of the Chattogram Cox’s Bazar Highway Development Project. These engineering services primarily include a feasibility study, detailed design and preparation of the Development Project Proposal (DPP).

At an exchange rate of Tk 125 per dollar, the amount is equivalent to Tk 320 crore. Whether the funding has been secured will be confirmed after the visit. Only then will it be clear when the feasibility study can begin.

A senior official at the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges said, “This is an estimated cost. The amount may be higher or lower. Japan will invest in this project because it has substantial investments around Maheshkhali and Matarbari. A feasibility study usually takes one and a half years.”

The government plans to implement the important six lane Chattogram Cox’s Bazar Highway project in three phases.

In the first phase, five major congestion prone locations along the highway will be identified and upgraded to four lanes through the construction of bypasses and flyovers. Provisions will be kept at these locations for future expansion to six lanes.

In the second phase, a 66 kilometer stretch of road from Shikalbaha on the southern bank of the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram to Fasiakhali in Chakaria will be upgraded to six lanes. The route will extend to the point where the port connecting road to Matarbari Deep Sea Port joins Fasiakhali. A bypass will then be constructed from that junction to a point beyond Chakaria College.

In the third phase, the highway from Fasiakhali to Cox’s Bazar Sadar will be upgraded to six lanes. However, this phase has not yet progressed.

Construction of five bypasses and flyovers under the first phase is beginning at a cost of Tk 8,500 crore.

Project Director Shyamal Kumar Bhattacharya said the first phase had made excellent progress. The detailed design will be completed by next February, and an international tender will be invited by April. Evaluating contractors’ proposals and selecting the successful bidder will take up to 10 months. This means the contractor will begin construction at the site in early 2028.

The target is to complete all work under the first phase within 36 months, by 2031.

Preparations for land acquisition are also almost complete. The proposal will be sent to the deputy commissioner within two months at most. Affected landowners will receive compensation before February, added government official Shyamal Kumar Bhattacharya.

In the second phase, a feasibility study will be conducted through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to upgrade a 56 kilometer stretch of road from the Shikalbaha Y junction to the entrance of the port connecting road at Fasiakhali in Chakaria to six lanes. The government is seeking financial assistance from Japan specifically for this study.

Mohammad Zahed Hossain, the project’s focal point, said, “Of the 80 kilometers, 24 kilometers will consist of bypasses and flyovers. The remaining 56 kilometers of the main road will be widened to more than six lanes. There will be a dedicated four lane road in the middle. Breakdown lanes will be provided on both sides. Drivers will use these breakdown lanes if they need to slow down and stop while traveling on the four lane road. Service lanes will then run along both sides, where only slow moving vehicles will travel. Altogether, the road will have approximately six to eight lanes.”

A ministry official said, “We allocate one and a half years for a feasibility study. After finalizing the financing, inviting international tenders and starting the work will take at least four years from now. The government can accelerate the process if it wishes.”