102km highways to be upgraded to 8 lanes by 2040: Minister

Under the ADB-formulated Master Plan-2040, 496.50 kilometres of highways will be upgraded to six lanes and 102 kilometres to eight lanes by 2040, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam told parliament on Sunday, April 26.

The minister disclosed this information in response to a written question from Md Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, member of parliament for the Pabna-5 constituency, during the question-and-answer session of the Jatiya Sangsad.

Currently, no project under the Roads and Highways Department is considered a fast-track project. However, projects under the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) are considered fast-track projects. These include MRT Line-6, MRT Line-1, MRT Line-5 (Northern Route), and MRT Line-5 (Southern Route).

The minister further said the total length of highways under the Roads and Highways Department is 22,736.58 kilometres. Of this, 883.61 kilometres are four-lane, 10,488 kilometres are six-lane, and 17.34 kilometres are eight-lane highways.