Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram earned Tk 25 lakh toll on the first weekly holiday since its opening, as some 7,000 vehicles went through it from 8 am to 8 pm on Friday (November 03, 2023). Tanvir Rifat, assistant engineer (toll and traffic) of the tunnel, shared the information with UNB. The pressure of vehicles was high on the first weekly holiday since the tunnel had opened as thousands of commuters thronged it — causing traffic congestion on both sides, he said.Vehicles took 30 to 45 minutes to cross the tunnel instead of the usual 3.5 minutes due to the heavy traffic. Belayet Hossain, toll manager of the tunnel, said the high number of commuters in vehicles contributed to the traffic gridlock on Friday. Read: Bangabandhu Tunnel: Tk 7.1 lakh toll collected on 2nd day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first underwater tunnel on October 28. Tk 12,13,300 was collected as toll, as 5,429 vehicles used the tunnel on the first day it opened to traffic (October 29). On the second day, some 3,205 vehicles went through the tunnel and Tk 7.1 lakh was collected as toll. The tunnel opened for vehicular movement at 6 am on October 29. Traffic movement remained low due to the ongoing countrywide hartal called by the opposition parties on Sunday. Read: Tk 1.48 lakh toll collected in 7 hours since Bangabandhu Tunnel opened As many as 14 boxes were set up at Anwara end to collect the toll. A total of 12 categories of vehicles will be able to go through the Bangabandhu Tunnel. The minimum toll for traffic movement in the tunnel has been set at Tk 200, and the maximum is Tk 1,000. Motorcycles or three-wheelers will not be allowed in the Bangabandhu Tunnel. Read more: Bangabandhu Tunnel opens for traffic

The Dhaka Elevated Expressway has been witnessing higher traffic than targeted, allowing the authorities to collect tolls more than Tk 5 crore in tolls since it was opened to the public on September 3. Till 6am on Sunday (September 24), a total of 621,152 vehicles, mostly private cars, used the Dhaka Elevated Expressway and total revenue collection amounted to over Tk 5.03 crore, said project director of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway AHMS Akhtar. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on September 2 inaugurated the Airport-Farmgate segment of Dhaka Elevated Expressway after paying a Tk 2,000 toll for 25 vehicles in her motorcade. Each vehicle is charged Tk 80. Authorities opened the section from the airport to Farmgate of Dhaka Elevated Expressway for vehicular movement at 6am on September 3. It takes only 10-12 minutes to reach Farmgate from the Airport via the expressway. Read: BRTC launches bus service on Dhaka Elevated Expressway “We assumed earlier that on average around 20,000 vehicles would use the expressway daily but now the number has increased to around 30,000 vehicles,” said the project director AHMS Akhtar. 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. “We hope when it is completed, about 80,000 vehicles will be able to use Dhaka Elevated Expressway every day,” Akhtar told UNB. Replying to a question, the Project Director said vehicles can run at a speed of up to 80 km/h according to the design of the expressway but they have limited it up to 60 km/h, and 40 km/h on the ramp. They are yet to start enforcing law against violators of speed limit, although CCTV cameras and other equipment have already been installed on the expressways. Read: Elevated expressway a big step towards Smart Bangladesh: Korean Ambassador Meanwhile, Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) has been running buses on the Dhaka Elevated Expressway starting from September 18. Passengers are now crossing the Dhaka Elevated Expressway for just Tk35. Earlier on September 15 , BRTC Chairman Tajul Islam announced the new bus route from Khejur Bagan to Jashimuddin Road on the Elevated Expressway. He said initially a total of eight buses were supposed to operate from three depots. Commuters can board the buses from both ends of the expressway, he added. But the number of BRTC buses, plying on the express highway, has raised to 12. “A total of 12 buses are now running on the expressway route. Passengers are satisfied with the service, we are satisfied too that the number of passengers is increasing,” said Bishwajit, BRTC bus counter staff working at the Farmgate bus counter of Uttara-Farmgate BRTC bus route. Read: Traffic jam at landing points as Dhaka Elevated Expressway opens Eight double-decker buses started plying the expressway initially from September 18, he added. Bishwajit informed that a bus is running every 10 minutes from the farmgate bus counter to Uttara. Buses are sometimes late because of the traffic jams on either end of the expressway, he said. “We are working day and night to make the service better for the passengers. The number of buses has been increased on the route for increasing the number of passengers, soon the bus schedules can be maintained tightly,” he further said. Tanjila Rahman, a commuter, was buying a ticket from the Farmgate BRTC expressway bus counter to go to Uttara on Sunday afternoon. When asked, she said that she had come for a job interview in the morning and that she had reached Indira Road from the airport in just 10-15 minutes. “I liked the service very much. It took much less time than usual to reach from airport to here. I am going back through the same route,” she added. Another commuter, Md Rayhan, said that previously he had to travel for at least 1.5 hours to reach his office in Karwanbazar from home. He stated that it is a fantastic experience for him that he is able to reach his office using the expressway in just 20 to 30 minutes. Read: Another dream comes true: PM Hasina opens country’s first elevated expressway Another passenger Rafiujjaman Riyon opined that local buses have too many stoppages, take too much time and they often charge higher fares. “BRTC expressway route uses e-ticketing system, so the fee stays fair. BRTC could make the bus seats more comfortable. Also, if the route had a few more stops, it would help a greater number of passengers,” he suggested. UNB correspondent Taufiq Hossain Mobin took a ride on an expressway bus. It set off at 1.10pm from Farmgate for Uttara. The bus was slow at first because of the traffic jam on Bijoy Sarani, taking 23 minutes to get on the expressway. After that, the bus took only 17 minutes to reach the end of the expressway but slowed down again due to the traffic jam at the other end and he got off from the bus at 1.51pm at the airport.

Bangladesh's Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on August 20, 2023 announced the toll rates for Dhaka Elevated Expressway, partially opening today (September 02, 2023). Tolls will be collected from vehicles plying the expressway in four categories, the minister said in a press briefing at the conference room of the Ministry of Road, Transport and Bridges in Secretariat on Sunday. Also read: Dhaka Elevated Expressway’s airport to Farmgate section to be inaugurated by PM on Sept 2 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 400 respectively. Meanwhile, all buses and minibuses with 16 or more seats will have to pay Tk 160 to ply the Kawla-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway.  Also read: PM to inaugurate Agargaon-Motijheel section of Dhaka Metro Rail on Oct 20 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 11.5 km section of the much anticipated Dhaka Elevated Expressway on September 2. A rally will be held at the old trade fair ground in Dhaka’s Agargaon marking the inauguration. Also read: Toll rates fixed for Karnaphuli tunnel

Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday (April 06, 2023) told parliament that Tk 603.76 crore tolls have been collected from Padma Bridge till March since its inauguration on June 25, 2022. The minister said this in reply to a tabled question from Awami League MP Benjir Ahmed elected from Dhaka-20. Quader said after the launch of Bangabandhu Bridge on June 23, 1998, Tk 7697.71 crore have been collected as toll as of March. In response to another question from Morshed Alam, a lawmaker from Noakhali-2, Quader said that about 6,000 buses of various transport companies including Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) ply Dhaka city. Also read: Repayment of Padma Bridge loan starts with Tk 316.91 crore given to govt He also said E-ticketing is available on a number of BRTC routes. Apart from this, e-ticketing has been launched in 3,300 buses of 69 companies out of 97 private transport companies under the supervision of Bangladesh Road Transport Owners Association, he said. Quader informed the House that Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is monitoring these activities. He said that soon the e-ticketing system will be introduced in the buses of rest of the companies. Read More: Govt to assist Bangabazar businesses to recover from fire damages: PM Hasina In reply to another query, Quader said that currently there is no research programme to reduce road accidents in the country. With Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, the question-answer session of today’s parliament sitting was placed on the table.

Saiful, who used to be a van-puller, now sells ‘fuchka’ (street food) near the Padma Bridge. He now earns significantly more than he did previously – thanks to the boom the locality has seen in tourism since the Padma Bridge opened in June 2022. Many day laborers, like Saiful, are taking advantage of the positive change in the area and have gotten involved in the informal tourism – earning a good living. Apart from the rise in tourists visiting various attractions in the country’s southwestern region – facilitated by the improved communication thanks to the bridge, a large number of people are arriving just to see the Padma Bridge, a modern infrastructure marvel. Many hotels, restaurants, resorts, and parks have been built near the bridge. Many have changed professions in the hope of earning more. Also read: 3rd Shitalakhya Bridge: Vehicles coming via Padma Bridge won’t need to enter Dhaka, PM says Numerous hotels and restaurants have been built in the Naodoba area of Jazira upazila, under Shariatpur district, according to UNB’s Faridpur correspondent. Several tourist attractions have been developed in Faridpur district’s Bhangar Char Rasta Mor, according to him. “I came here with my daughter because she wanted to see the Padma Bridge,” said Naimul Islam, from Faridpur. “We went to the nearest restaurant after sightseeing.”

The death toll from Monday's Malaysia-bound trawler capsize rose to six, with the recovery of two more bodies from the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday night. However, the identities of the two deceased, both women believed to be in their 20s, could not be ascertained immediately. Md Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, said that on information, they recovered one body from the Shilkhali Sea beach and another from the South Shilkhali Sea beach, respectively, on Wednesday night. The bodies were sent to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for post-mortem, he said, adding that the bodies will be handed over to their families once their identities are ascertained. Read: Trawler capsize: 29 Rohingya refugees among 33 detained en route to Malaysia The Malaysia-bound trawler carrying over 100 Rohingya refugees capsized in the Bay of Bengal on Monday. Some 45 Rohingya refugees have been rescued so far, while the bodies of five women and one child were also recovered from the sea later. Meanwhile, police filed a case against 24 human traffickers at the local police station on Wednesday. However, none has been arrested in connection with the case.  

The death toll from the devastating floods in the country rose to 121 with two more deaths in Sylhet district in 24 hours till Saturday morning. The latest victims drowned in floodwater, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Of the total deceased, 94 people drowned in floodwater, 15 were killed by lightning, two died from snake bites, one from diarrhoea, and nine others due to other reasons. Read: WB approves $500 million credit to bolster flood preparedness in Bangladesh  Of the deceased, 67 people died in Sylhet, 41 in Mymensingh, 12 in Rangpur and one in Dhaka division, the DGHS said. Of a total of 70 flood-hit upazilas, 33 are in Sylhet division, 16 in Rangpur division, 20 in Mymensingh division and one in Chattogram division.   Sylhet, Sunamganj, Netrokona and Kurigram are the worst-hit districts, with 13, 11, 10 and nine upazilas affected by floods, respectively.

The government earned record Tk 3.16 crore in revenue through toll from the vehicles that crossed the Padma Bridge on Friday,  the 6th day after opening of the bridge to traffic. “TK 3.16 crore was collected from 6 am to 12 am on Friday which is the highest amount earned so far, “Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) Superintending Engineer Abul Hossain told UNB. Also read: BRTA increases bus fare on every route via Padma Bridge Around 26,394 vehicles crossed the bridge during this period, he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the bridge on June 25and it was opened to traffic the next morning. Also read: Tk 1.97 crore toll collected from Padma Bridge on day 2

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) has issued a new chart fixing Bus fares for all the routes stretching from Dhaka to the southern districts. According to the chart, the distance between Dhaka and Barishal via Mawa-Bhanga-Madaripur route is 156km. The new fare for a 40-seat bus is Tk 454, while for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 356 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Gopalganj via Mawa-Bhanga route is 145.53km. The fare for a 40-seat bus is now Tk 423 and for a 51-seat bus it is now Tk 332 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Khulna via Gopalganj is 207km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 575 and for a 51-seat bus it is Tk 456 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Shariatpur via the Padma Bridge is 73km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 257 and for a 51-seat bus it is Tk 211 per person. There is another route to Shariatpur via the 2nd Buriganga Bridge-Mawa-Jajira route. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is almost the same as the first route. Read: Mawa-Bhanga expressway witnesses huge traffic snarl on first day of toll collection The distance between Dhaka and Pirojpur via Mawa-Bhanga-Barishal is 206km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 580 and for a 51-seat bus it is Tk 455 per person. There is another route to Pirojpur via Mawa-Bhanga-Gopalganj-Bagerhat. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 619 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 486 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Patuakhali via Bhanga-Barishal route is 192km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 561 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 440 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Madaripur via the Mawa-Bhanga route is 111km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 344 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 270 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Satkhira via Mawa-Bhanga-Gopalganj-Khulna is 257km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 689 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 541 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Faridpur via the Mawa-Bhanga route is 102km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 323 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 253 per person. The distance between Dhaka and Kuakata via the Mawa-Bhanga-Madaripur-Barishal-Patuakhali route is 276km. The fare for a 40-seat bus in this route is Tk 767 and for a 51-seat bus the fare is Tk 601 per person, according to the new chart.

The government earned Tk 1.97 crore in revenue through toll from the vehicles that crossed the Padma Bridge in 24 hours till 6 am on Monday. “Tk 1.97 crore was collected in 24 hours till 6 am on Monday,” Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) Superintending Engineer Abul Hossain told UNB.  READ: Padma Bridge: Over Tk 2 cr toll collected from vehicles on 1st day Around 15,274 vehicles crossed the bridge during this period, he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formally inaugurated the bridge on Saturday and it was opened to traffic on Sunday morning.