ECNEC to Review Tk265.8bn Dhaka-Ashulia Expressway

Bangladesh's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is set to consider a second revised proposal for the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway at its meeting on Wednesday, potentially ending nearly six months of uncertainty over one of the country's largest transport infrastructure projects.

The meeting, to be chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman at the Bangladesh Secretariat, will also consider eight other major development projects.

The revised Development Project Proposal (DPP) includes three major additions to improve connectivity: a direct link to the Baipayl Intersection, integration with the Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, and connectivity with the under-construction MRT Line-1.

Planning Commission officials said these additions would increase the project's estimated cost by 55.15%, raising it from the originally approved Tk169.01 billion to Tk265.81 billion (around US$2.2 billion). The project had previously been revised once, increasing the cost to Tk175.53 billion.

The latest proposal seeks an additional Tk96.80 billion, with officials attributing the higher cost to currency depreciation, increased taxes and customs duties, higher land acquisition and utility relocation expenses, and rising consultancy costs.

The government is also seeking to extend the project deadline by another four years to June 2030. The project, launched in September 2017, was initially scheduled for completion in June 2022 before being extended to June 2026 because of delays in finalising external financing.

As of June 2025, financial progress had reached 66.86%, with expenditure amounting to Tk117.35 billion, while physical implementation stood at 52%, according to project documents.

Once completed, the mostly China-financed expressway is expected to ease chronic traffic congestion along Dhaka's northwestern corridor and strengthen connectivity between the capital, Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Ashulia, Savar, northern districts and key industrial zones.

The ECNEC meeting is also expected to review several other major projects, including the Meghna River erosion protection programme in Bhola, integrated rural infrastructure development in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh, the Universal Social Infrastructure Development Project-2, construction and rehabilitation of disaster shelters, gas exploration and production drilling, power distribution upgrades in Sylhet Division, and the expansion of kidney dialysis services at medical college and district hospitals.