Dhaka: The remaining parts of the much-awaited Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover will be opened to traffic on Thursday, bringing an end to the sufferings the commuters and the residents of the area have been going through over the last four years for the snail’s pace of its construction.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to open the Kakrail-Malibagh, Rajarbagh-Mouchak, Rampura-Mouchak and Mouchak-Eskaton portions of the flyover through a videoconference at 12:00noon, project director (PD) Susant Kumar Pal said.

After the inauguration of the rest 5.5-km overpass of the entire 8.7-km one, vehicles can go over eight road intersections and three level-crossings at Karwan Bazar, Moghbazar and Malibagh, substantially improving the city trips, the PD said.

Many city dwellers, however, expressed their annoyance as a portion of the road in Mouchak crossing, in front of Fortune Shopping Mall, has been kept blocked for the last two days for erecting a stage and making an inauguration plate ahead of the flyover opening, creating huge tailbacks in the arras and causing public sufferings.

Some of them, however, heaved a sigh of relief as their long-endured sufferings will be over with the inauguration of the flyover.

PD Susant Kumar said all types of construction work on the flyover have already been completed and it is now ready for operation.

Once the Prime Minister inaugurates it, he said, the entire overpass, including the three portions already in operation, will be opened to traffic.

The country’s longest flyover drew criticisms for repeatedly raising its project cost, deferring its implementation deadline, public sufferings, and faulty designs.

Though the overpass has been built for unhindered vehicular movement, traffic signal lights have been installed at the Mouchak and Malibagh intersection of the flyover due to its faulty design.

Meanwhile, a passerby, Swapan of Kishoreganj’s Pakundia upazila, was killed and two others injured after a concrete girder of the flyover collapsed on Malibagh level-crossing on March 13 this year.

Aiming to ease traffic in one of the city’s busiest areas, the construction work on the integrated Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover Project began in January 2013 with a deadline to complete it by June 2015.

On January 19, 2016, the project timeframe has been extended by another 18 months till June 2017 as its length has been extended through redesigning of its structure to make it more usable for easing traffic jam in the capital. But, the construction farm also missed the deadline, annoying the commuters further.

On March 30 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first part, stretching over two kilometres from Holy Family Hospital to Saatrasta intersection.

Local Government Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated the one-km portion, Eskaton to Moghbazar Wireless Gate, on September 15, 2016 and the 450-meter long part, Hatirjheel to Sonargaon intersection, on May 17 this year.

The rest of the nearly 5.5-km flyover will be opened to traffic on Thursday.

A total of Tk 1,218 crore has been spent on the construction of the country’s longest flyover.