Commuters experienced traffic jam at the landing points of Dhaka Elevated Expressway today as it opened to traffic at 6 am.
Vehicles were seen taking the 11.5 km Airport-Farmgate stretch of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
It takes about 10 minutes for a vehicle to reach Farmgate from Kawla with a speed up to 60 km per hour.
Read: PM Hasina to inaugurate Dhaka Elevated Expressway Saturday
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 2, 2023 inaugurated the Airport-Farmgate segment of Dhaka Elevated Expressway after paying a Tk 2,000 toll for 25 vehicles in her motorcade.
Abu Saleh Md Raihan, joint commissioner of traffic (north) at DMP, said, “Traffic jam was seen at the landing points in Farmgate, Mohakhali, Kakoli, Kawla areas due to heavy pressure of vehicles that used the Dhaka Elevated Expressway. As today is the first day, commuters faced inconveniences.”
Read: Which vehicles can’t use Dhaka Elevated Expressway?
When fully completed, the Dhaka Elevated Expressway will run from the capital’s Kawla to Kutubkhali area of Dhaka-Chattogram highway via Kuril-Banani-Mohakhali-Tejgaon-Moghbazar-Kamalapur-Sayedabad-Jatrabari, according to Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader.
Tolls are being collected in four categories.
Read: Big hopes of transformation in commute: Dhaka Elevated Expressway ready for opening today
Private cars, microbuses (<16 seats) and mini-trucks (<3 tonnes) will have to pay Tk 80, medium-sized trucks (up to 6 wheels) and large trucks with more than 6 wheels will pay Tk 320 and Tk 400respectively.
Meanwhile, all buses and minibuses with 16 or more seats will have to pay Tk 160 to use the Kawla-Farmgate section of the expressway.
Read: Dhaka Elevated Expressway opens to traffic
Motorcycles, bicycles and three-wheelers are not allowed to ply the expressway.