The construction work, to build the country's first underwater road tunnel named, Bangabandhu Tunnel under Karnaphuli River, is ahead of its expected schedule with almost 70 percent of work already completed, according to officials.

Despite a slow down last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and occasional lock downs  the construction works regained its momentum as the Chinese workers returning from their homes rejoined works along with some 640 local engineers, consultants and day labourers.

The authorities expect to open the tunnel for traffic movement by the scheduled time of December 2022.

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman tunnel is being constructed under the Karnaphuli River which will be the first of its kind in Bangladesh and expected to improve the Dhaka -Chattogram -Cox's Bazar highway network.

Rabiul Islam, Deputy Project Director DPD of Bangabandhu Tunnel, said, “Until now around 70 percent of the work on the project has been completed and the work will be completed within the stipulated time.”

“Local and foreign workers of the project are working as per schedule; there has been very little disruption of work in the corona epidemic and ongoing lockdown.” Islam added.

The government took the initiative of constructing the proposed 3.4km long and 10 meters wide tunnel at an estimated cost of Tk 9880crore, where Chinese Exim Bank is providing Tk 5,913 crore. Bangladesh is funding the rest. Later, due to the price of land and other reasons, the project cost increased to Tk 10,300 crore.

The 3.4 km long tunnel has two tubes of 2450 meters length which is the main part of this tunnel project.

At present, construction of one of the two tubes of the tunnel has been completed and boring work of the other one so far reached 1500 meters. The rest of the work is expected to be completed by scheduled time.

The four-lane tunnel route will pass through the river close to Naval Academy - at Potenga point of Chattogram city on one side and Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) and Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company (KAFCO) at Anowara Upzila on the other side.

Officials said that the concrete rings of the tunnel are imported from China. Although the import of these rings has faced some complications due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so far 85 percent of the materials have reached the port city on meantime.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the President of China Xi Jinping laid the foundation stone of the tunnel on October 14, 2017. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the boring work of the tunnel in February 2018.

At present, there is enough money for the project. If there is no natural disaster or any other major problem, the construction of tunnels will be completed within the scheduled time.

Using Shield Driven Method technology, the tunnels are being constructed through TBM tunnel boring machines. As this is the first construction of such a project in Bangladesh, the issue of the overall safety of the engineer workers and others engaged in its construction is given utmost importance.

The tunnel is being constructed 31 meters below the Kornaphuli River bed. The distance from one of the two tubes to the other is 12 meters. Bangladesh is the largest in South Asia and it is being built with the deepest of the river.

At both ends of the tunnel construction of 5.35 km approach road and 728-meter overbridge of the tunnel is also in progress. All these will be completed in time, said the authorities.

This tunnel of Bangladesh would be the largest tunnel in the South Asia region.