22 U-loops to dot Gazipur to capital's Satrasta road

The government will build regulated traffic turning facilities along a 32-km road from Gazipur to the capital's Satrasta aiming to reduce congestion by one-third by June, said high officials at a views-exchange meeting in the capital yesterday.  

There will be 22 U-loops along the road to replace the 69 traffic crossings including 20 major intersections, said Annisul Huq, mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation that organised the meeting on the proposed design of the loops.

"It is the best short-term traffic solution measure," he said adding that the U-loop construction would require 37 bighas of land belonging to five government organisations including the railways, roads and highways, and civil aviation authority. 

Though not yet decided, DNCC will most likely implement the scheme, he said.  

A U-loop is meant for regulated traffic turning in a segregated and systematic way for signal-free motor vehicle movement, said Dr SM Salehuddin, deputy team leader of the design consultants.

The capital city incurs a financial loss to the tune of Tk 1.5 thousand crore every day due to traffic congestion while mega projects like rapid bus service (BRT), metro rail and elevated expressway will take long to resolve the horrendous traffic problem, he said.     

The U-loops will be of two kinds -- one with 144 to 160 feet width for  turning of buses and small vehicles and the other with 104 to 135 feet width for only small vehicles, said architect Tanwir Nawaz, the consultants' team leader.

These will stop right turns at intersections and opening of central reservations. On an average, the distance between two U-loops will be 1.5 km.

Md Zahid Ahsan Russel, a lawmaker of Gazipur, said it had to be made sure that U-loops would not hamper the proposed BRT from Gazipur to Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.   

Roads and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the U-loop scheme has the prime minister's consent and it should get precedence over others being considered.

Construction of the Gazipur BRT starts in February next and in case the U-loops come in conflict with BRT at some points, the former would be removed if need be, he said. 

He also said Dhaka city roads remain swarmed with hundreds of thousands of illegal vehicles including over 12 lakh illegal pedal-powered rickshaws.

Suraiya Begum, secretary to the Prime Minister's Office, was present.