They said the 8.7-kilometre flyover, designed more than a decade ago
by foreign engineers keeping in view left-hand driving by mistake, is
being erected with several faults, including on ramps.
BUET Civil
Engineering Department Professor Md Shamsul Hoque said the fault was
caused because the design was not examined by the independent experts,
local planners were not consulted and no public hearing was held.
“The long flyover won’t ease traffic congestions as it has not enough options for vehicles taking right turn. It cannot ensure vehicles reaching destination in shorter time,” he said.
The professor said the signal system at Mouchak point would cause traffic jam on the flyover itself.
The
four-lane flyover will have ramps at Satrasta (Tejgaon), Karwan Bazar,
Moghbazar, Ramna, Bangla Motor, Malibagh, Rajarbagh and Shantinagar for
vehicles to get on and off the flyover.
Three years after the
physical works of the project began, the ramps for vehicles descending
are now found more steep than those for their ascending – a situation
opposite to requirement in Bangladesh.
Experts blames taking into
consideration left-hand driving for the faults and apprehend that they
would make the flyover prone to accidents.
“Many unfit and
overloaded buses, trucks and other vehicles operate on roads here.
Overloaded vehicles may meet with accidents while getting on the
flyover,” said the BUET professor.
Hoque, who designed Kurhil and
Banani-Zia Colony flyovers, said in countries where vehicles are
right-hand drive, flyovers are constructed to give them easier access to
roads on the right.
“Mohakhali and Khilgaon flyovers are two
examples of such infrastructures. But Moghbazar-Mouchak flyover is not
having right-turn options at many important points,” he said.
The
BUET professor said faults in the design were detected when officials of
Local Government
Engineering Department (LGED), supervisor of the
construction works, contacted local experts after facing ‘some
problems’.
“They came to us with defects in installation of decks.
We could fix them. The faults in the design were noticed at that time,”
he said.
The professor thinks the design faults cannot be rectified at the present state of flyover construction.
Hoque,
who was involved in formulation of Strategic Transport Plan for Dhaka,
holds LGED engineers and policymakers responsible for the lapses.
“These
(LGED) engineers lack experiences in constructing infrastructures in
cities. Moreover, local engineers were not consulted before physical
works on the project began. That’s why the faults were not noticed,” he
said.
City planner Prof Nazrul Islam Khan expressed his resentment over the fault in the flyover’s design.
“Enough
analysis was not done before the implementation of the project. Those
responsible for the implementation apparently lack skills. It’s
unfortunate,” he said.
