Chattogram Live: The excavation of the 2nd tube of ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’ beneath the Karnaphuli River here completed on Thursday.

With this, both the banks of the river are now connected through both tubes of the country’s first-ever tunnel.

“It’ll take two more months to remove the sophisticated Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) from the tube. Later, work for placing slabs will start,” he said.

 “Work to place slabs on a 1,660-metre area of the first tube has also completed. On completion of the rest of the work, road development will begin,” said the PD.

A total of 73 percent work of the tunnel completed till September, he said. “We’re working relentlessly to complete the project work within the deadline of December next year.”

According to sources, boring work of the 1st tube completed on August 2 last and work of the 2nd tube started on December 12 last year.

Sources said apart from the work related to the tubes, workers are now busy developing approach road, overpass, bridge and culvert at the Patenga and Anwara ends of the project site.

The project objectives also include improvement of road communication in the country’s southeastern region, getting connected with the Asian highway network, planned urbanisation on both banks of the river and enhancing facilities for Chattogram Port.

China Communications Construction Company Limited is implementing the project to construct the dream 9.39-km tunnel with two tubes for traffic.

Of the total length, the main tunnel will be 3.32 kms, approach roads on the east and west ends 5.35 kms and an over bridge (viaduct) 727 metres.

The tunnel will connect the Naval avenue point of the port city and CUFL point under Anwara upazila in the district.             

The 17-km long and 90-foot wide four-lane outer ring road on the existing coastal embankment stretching from Patenga to Faujdarhat under Sitakunda upazila will connect the tunnel at Patenga.

The Tk 10,374-crore project is being implemented with the fund from the government of Bangladesh and China.

Officials concerned said some 1,000 people, including 300 Chinese engineers and workers, are working relentlessly on both sides of the river to implement the project.

The coronavirus pandemic could not disrupt the work as the authorities ensured accommodation facilities for all the engineers and workers inside the project site, they said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the tunnel at a programme in the capital on October 14, 2017. The prime minister also inaugurated the boring work on February 24, 2019.

Dhaka, 07 October (campuslive24.com)//BSC