Imtiaz Ahmed, Narayanganj

The construction work of Narayanganj’s only elevated expressway — the two-tier Panchabati–Mukterpur road — is moving at a slow pace. As a result, the old road from Panchabati intersection to Mukterpur has become unusable. With the monsoon season in full swing, almost 11 kilometers of this road is now covered in mud. Residents of Enayetnagar, Kashipur, and Gognagar unions — numbering in the hundreds of thousands — are enduring endless suffering. This hardship in traveling along the Panchabati–Mukterpur road has persisted for nearly four years.

Although project officials claim the work will be completed soon, the Bridge Authority says the two-tier road will open by June 2026.

Residents of Kashipur, Gognagar, and Enayetnagar say they doubt the project will be completed next year. Since the change of government, progress has slowed, materials have been stolen, and the public is struggling to move around. The local economy has taken a hit, with many small entrepreneurs suffering losses. Landowners who received compensation after their land was acquired have been unable to start new ventures. Daily traffic movement has ground to a halt.

The two-tier Panchabati–Mukterpur road is being built to make travel between Munshiganj and the capital faster and easier. Project officials say it will open in June 2026, ushering in new possibilities for communication and relieving years of severe traffic congestion and suffering. Currently, deck slab installation is underway, along with work on piles, piers, and deck panels. Thanks to the tireless day-and-night efforts of those involved, most of the structure of the two-tier road is now visible.

According to officials, 54 percent of the Tk 2,242.77 crore project has been completed. Once finished in 2026, the speed of vehicles on this route is expected to increase fivefold. Following Faridpur’s Bhanga and Sirajganj, Narayanganj’s Panchabati will be home to an aesthetically designed road with intersections. Once implemented, the project will directly benefit millions of people in Narayanganj and Munshiganj. Since the opening of the sixth Bangladesh–China Friendship Bridge over the Dhaleshwari River in 2008, the Panchabati–Mukterpur road has served as its connecting route. This road is very narrow and winding, with an average width of 5.5 meters. Due to shops and houses on both sides, long traffic jams are common.

The road is also used for direct road communication between Munshiganj district and Dhaka, Narayanganj, and other parts of the country. The presence of garment factories, residential buildings, and shops along the road often results in prolonged traffic congestion. In Mukterpur, heavy vehicles travel to and from cement factories and several cold storages for potato preservation, frequently causing accidents and further traffic jams.

The project area is part of the BSCIC Industrial Zone, and several garment factories here mean around 100,000 workers use the road three times a day, creating heavy traffic congestion. There are also several export-oriented factories whose products are transported via this route. Considering this, the project to widen and construct a two-tier road from Panchabati to Mukterpur Bridge was undertaken.

The project was approved in an ECNEC meeting on December 8, 2020, with a total cost of Tk 2,242 crore 77 lakh 45 thousand, funded jointly by the Government of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority. Work began on January 1, 2021, and is being implemented by a Chinese contracting firm.

According to project sources, the modernization will extend six lanes, 310 meters each, from Panchabati intersection toward both Fatullah and Narayanganj. From Panchabati intersection, a four-lane road will run via the Shitalakkhya-3 Bridge roundabout to the Mukterpur Bridge in Munshiganj. Of this, a six-kilometer, two-lane section from Panchabati to Char Syedpur’s Shitalakkhya-3 Bridge will be an elevated expressway, with the remaining two lanes at ground level. The total 10.37 km road from Mukterpur Bridge to Panchabati will include three types of roadway: 9.6 km of elevated expressway, a free ground level, and a tolled upper deck.

The project features extensive construction work on piles, piers, and deck panels. Once complete, it will open up a new era of traffic-free travel. However, experts believe the road’s importance would be even greater if the Panchabati-to-Postogola and Shitalakkhya-3 Bridge-to-Dhaka–Chattogram Highway sections were also widened.

Local residents say traffic congestion is constant for most of the day, causing delays and wasting valuable work hours. They believe that once the project is completed, long-standing suffering will end, and the improved transport system will change the fortunes of the locals.

Md. Ohiduzzaman, Deputy Project Director (Technical, Current Charge) of the Mukterpur–Panchabati Road Widening and Two-tier Construction Project, said, “The project work is progressing rapidly, with 54 percent already completed. Given the current pace, we expect to finish on time. Hopefully, we can open it in June 2026. Once implemented, the project will directly benefit the people of Narayanganj and Munshiganj.”