CHATTOGRAM, Jan 3: Toll collection on the Chattogram Elevated Expressway began at 10 am on Friday morning. Adviser to the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Adilur Rahman Khan, inaugurated the toll collection at the Patenga end. The toll will be collected on behalf of the CDA.
Meanwhile, the "Mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury CDA Elevated Expressway" has been renamed to "Shaheed Wasim Akram Flyover" in memory of Chattogram College student Wasim Akram, who was killed during a protest of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. The name was changed following an order signed by Mohammad Abdul Awal, deputy secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, on Thursday, 2 January.
Director of the project, Engineer Md Mahfuzur Rahman, stated that ten types of vehicles, except motorcycles and trailers, will be able to operate on the first elevated expressway in Chattogram. A minimum toll of Tk30 will have to be paid for CNG-operated autorickshaws (three-wheelers), Tk80 for cars, Tk100 for jeeps and microbuses, Tk150 for pickups, Tk200 for minibuses and trucks (four-wheel), Tk280 for buses, Tk300 for trucks (six-wheel), and Tk450 for covered vans.
The elevated expressway, which was inaugurated virtually by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 14 November 2023, began trial operations in August last year. The expressway allows vehicles to travel directly between Lal Khan Bazar and Patenga, with current entry points at Lal Khan Bazar and exits at Tiger Pass and Patenga. The maximum speed limit on the expressway is 60 kilometres per hour.
The Ministry of Housing and Public Works approved the initial toll rates in February 2023. Following a public backlash, the rates were revised, with reductions ranging from Tk20 to Tk50 depending on the vehicle type and entry-exit points.
