The project in Chattogram is constructed by China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC).

Featured with two-tube four-lane of the shield section, the Karnaphuli Tunnel connects Chattogram city to the other side of Karnaphuli River. 

It is known that the Multi-Lane Road Tunnel Project under the River Karnaphuli is the first underwater tunnel in South Asia, and also the first overseas large-diameter underwater TBM tunnel undertaken by the Chinese company. 

The completion of the project will greatly improve the traffic conditions in Chattogram and promote the economic development of Bangladesh, said a media release on Monday. 

It will also contribute to the improvement of the Asian Highway Network, as well as the connectivity between Bangladesh and it’s neighboring countries.

In February last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the works on 3.5-km Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel, the first in the country, under Karnaphuli River at Construction Yard of the Tunnel Project area at Patenga.

The tunnel is being built at a cost of Tk 9,880 crore to turn Chattogram into ‘One City Two Towns’.

The total length of the tunnel will be around 9.092 kilometres, including 3.50 kilometres of tunnel under the Karnaphuli River with an approach road of 4.89 kilometres alongside 740 metres of bridges linking the main port city and western side of the Karnaphuli along with the heavy industry-prone eastern side of the river.

It will cut the road distance between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar, apart from easing the traffic on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway entering the port city to go to other parts of Chattogram division.

The multilane tunnel will connect Chattogram Port and Anowara Upazila and is expected to make communication between Chattogram and Cox’s Bazar easier in addition to reducing traffic congestions on two bridges over the Karnaphuli River.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly laid its foundation stone on October 14 in 2017.