The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 16,901.32 crore project for the construction a ‘Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway’.The 24-kilometer Elevated Expressway is aimed to ease traffic congestion in and around capital Dhaka.The approval was given in the 7th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year (FY18) held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.“ECNEC approved a total of five projects today involving a total cost of Tk 34,567.34 crore. Of the total project cost, Tk 12,402.65 crore will come from the state exchequer while remaining Tk 22,164.69 crore as project assistance,” Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said while briefing journalists after the meeting.The ECNEC meeting also approved the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Extension Project (1st phase) with Tk 13,610.47 crore to be implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) by June 2022.Of the total project cost, Tk 2,395.69 crore will come from the state exchequer while the rest of Tk 11,214.78 crore as project assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).‘About the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway, Kamal said the 24-kilometer long elevated expressway will be starting from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport to Nabinagar More (crossroads) via Abdullahpur-Ashulia-Baipail and then EPZ to Chandra More (crossroads).Bangladesh Bridges Authority under the Bridges Division will implement the Ashulia Elevated Expressway project by June 2022 at Dhaka North City Corporation, Savar upazila and Ashulia thana areas, he added.“This Ashulia Expressway, which would be connected with the proposed Dhaka Elevated Expressway, would reduce traffic congestion at Abdullahpur-Ashulia, Baipail-Chandra corridor and thus ease road communication between 30 districts of the country and the capital,” said Kamal.He said the 24 kilometer Expressway includes 10.84 kilometer ramp and 14.28 kilometer road.While focusing on Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Extension Project, the planning minister said that this main airport of the country has the capacity of dealing with some eight million passengers every year and considering the growing demand of air traffic and passengers, the capacity of this airport needs to be increased.“Considering the survey conducted by the Yooshin (Korea)-CPG (Singapore)-DDC (Dhaka), the number of passengers traveling through this airport would increase to 14 million by 2025 and to 24.8 million by the year 2035,” Kamal said.Besides, the infrastructures of the airport is not sufficient considering the growing air traffic while it is not being possible at the moment to ensure five-tier security through the existing passenger terminal. Apart from this, the airport is not quite suitable for takeoff and landing for large aircraft like Boeing 747-8 F and 777-300 ER, he said.“The project has been undertaken considering the growing demand of air traffic and thus ensuring world-class security measures and facilities,” Kamal explained.The main project operations include some 66.87 lakh cubic meter land development, some 1.08 lakh square meter taxiway construction, some 62,000 square meter multi-level car parking, construction of 41,200 square meter new cargo complex, 5,900 square meter VVIP complex.The other approved projects are Upgradation of Comilla (Tomchom Bridge)-Noakhali (Begumganj) regional highway to four-lane (Tk 2,170.78 crore), Greater Dhaka Rural Infrastructures Development Project-3 (Tk 1,760 crore) and Construction of Ferryghat and other necessary infrastructures at Balashi and Bahadurabad (Tk 124.77 crore).Source: BSS