In an effort to upgrade Dhaka airport road to global standards, a modernisation project was launched on Thursday.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader formally inaugurated the construction work, saying the road would be the model road of the country.
The renovation plan is elaborate and includes children’s playing zones, car parks, a dedicated lane for cycling and digital screens to display advertisements and awareness campaigns, sources at the Road Transport and Highways Division told the Dhaka Tribune.
The renovation is already in full swing at the six-kilometre road between Kakoli intersection and Dhaka airport. Workers have cleaned up the street and footpaths; construction for passengers’ sheds are in progress at 12 points.
Besides the sheds, there will also be modern waiting zones as well as service booths of Road Transport and Highways Division, sources said.
These zones and booths will have modern facilities such as Wi-Fi services, public toilets, ATM booths, vending machines for drinks and snacks, free drinking water, free mobile charging stations, money exchange booths, nursing corners for new mothers, police boxes, information kiosks and automated cash recharge points for mobile phones.
Monuments depicting the historical events of the country, especially 1952 and 1971, will be installed and shrubberies will be planted along the road for its beautification, the sources added.
The project, estimated to cost around Tk140 crore and expected to be complete by July this year, is being implemented by private firm Vinyl World Group under the supervision of Roads and Highways Department.
Vinyl World is financing the project and will also be in charge of the new road’s maintenance work until November 2026, said Abaid Monsur, the CEO of the firm.
“We have employed 250 workers for the supervision and maintenance of the road for the next 10 years.
“They will have Wi-Fi access and walkie-talkies so they can perform their duties without any trouble,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
Security is also a major part of the project, he added. “The total stretch of the road will be monitored via 350 CCTV cameras by a control room and a mother control room,” he said.
Source: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2017/02/17/dhaka-airport-road-get-digitalised/