U-loop offers hope for easing traffic in Dhaka

The government has decided to implement a project involving the construction of 22 u-loops from Dhaka to Gazipur, aiming to reduce traffic congestion by 25-30%.

The loops will let vehicles cross intersections round the clock without creating any traffic jam.

The Innovation cell of the Prime Minister’s Office has decided to initially build a total of 22 such U-loops from the capital’s Shaatrasta intersection to the Chandona roundabout in Gazipur.

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Gazipur City Corporation will team up to implement the project, which is the brainchild of a young engineer named Kamrul Hasan.

The DNCC yesterday arranged a workshop on the project at aHOTEL in Dhaka’s Gulshan.    

Explaining how vehicles will use the loops, Kamrul said: “Shahjalal airport intersection connects four roads. A Haji Camp-bound vehicle coming from Khilkhet will cross the intersection and drive to the u-loop ahead. It will then turn right to be in the u-loop to cross the road and finally take a left to the Haji camp.

“On the other hand, a vehicle heading to the airport from Uttara will similarly pass the intersection and take the other u-loop ahead to reach its destination.

“Vehicles travelling straight will not use the u-loops. For example, a transport moving to Uttara from Banani will not be required to use the u-loop and will drive straight but the vehicles leaving the airport for Haji Camp will use the u-loop,” he added.

DNCC Mayor Annisul Huq said construction would begin soon and be completed in six months at a cost of around Tk50 crore.

“After the U-loops are built, traffic congestion will be eased by 25-30% as no vehicle will have to stop at the intersections covered by the u-loops,” the mayor said, adding that a total of 37.09 bighas [around 23 acres] of government land will have to be acquired for the project.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, who was present at the workshop as the chief guest, said a decision had already been made to use Roads and Highways Department’s land for the project.

“31.25 bighas of land of the Roads and Highways Department will be used in the project, while the rest will come from land owned by the railways, civil aviation and Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited.” 

Kamrul, who designed the project, told the Dhaka Tribune that two types of u-loops had been designed – A and B.

“Type A is for buses, cars and other vehicles while type B is only for cars and small transports. A type A u-loop will be 144 feet wide, which is enough for buses and other large vehicles, while a type B will be 104 feet in width,” he said. 

“The distance between Shaatrasta intersection and Chandona roundabout in Gazipur is 30km while the distance between two u-loops will be from 800m to 1.5km.”

Asked about the project, Shamshul Haque, a professor of civil engineering at Buet, said he was not very certain that it would be very effective in reducing traffic congestion in the city.

“The intersections in the city are used as bus stops and pedestrians also cross roads through these. If u-loops are built, the roads will become narrow and will eventually cause gridlocks,” he said.

But Kamrul asserted that very precise measurements had been done and all possible traffic situations had been considered while the design was prepared.

“The U-loops will not lead to traffic jam. The vehicles will travel a bit slowly but they will not have to wait at traffic signals, which is a key reason for traffic congestion now,” he added. 

- See more at: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2015/nov/29/u-loop-offers-hope-easing-traffic#sthash.TID6Emgl.dpuf

Shohel Mamun @Dhaka Tribune