Dhaka: Road transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has ordered the construction of a six-lane elevated expressway from Dhaka to Chittagong.

If constructed, the country’s businesses would immensely be benefited given the importance of the Chittagong seaport.

While talking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, the minister said that the order was given at Tuesday’s Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting.

Obaidul Quader added that the previous plan for the 225-km proposed-expressway was for it to be 30 percent elevated, while the remaining 70 percent would be at-grade.

After listening to the plan, Hasina directed the authorities to construct a fully elevated expressway to allow smooth traffic as the Chittgong seaport handles the country’s almost 90 percent export-import business.

Previously, the cost of the expressway, including partial elevation and at-grade, was Tk. 27,000 crore, but for the complete elevated expressway, it would stand at Tk. 70,000 crore.

Quader also said that the finance would be sought through either a government-to-government process, public-private partnership (PPP) or in the form of foreign assistance.

He added that planning for a detailed design is already underway.

In other ongoing projects, the minister said that constructions of the ongoing Tk. 268 crore Sylhet-Sunamganj and Sylhet-Jokiganj Highways are almost complete.

Hasina will be inaugurating them through video-conferencing on 25 February.

A total of sixteen bridges have been constructed for the highways, eleven for Sylhet-Sunamganj and five for Sylhet-Jokiganj.

Additionally, construction works for the 900m-long Sheikh Kamal Bridge and 500m-long Sheikh Jamal Bridge at Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway has been completed.

The cost of the two bridges have accumulated to Tk. 65 crore and Tk. 43.5 crore respectively.

Hasina had earlier inaugurated Sheikh Russel Bridge at the same location on August 2015.