Chittagong CDA Unveils Draft Traffic Master Plan to Ease Gridlock
Chittagong Development Authority has released a draft traffic and transport master plan proposing a modern bus network over expensive metro systems. The draft is currently open for public feedback, objections, and suggestions over a sixty-day period.
The Chittagong Development Authority, known locally as the CDA, has recently published a draft traffic and transport master plan aimed at addressing severe traffic congestion in the port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh. According to the newly released proposal, instead of constructing a costly metro rail or monorail system that would require an estimated budget of twenty-five to thirty thousand crore taka, the authority has recommended implementing a modern bus system, a comprehensive restructuring of bus routes, and the introduction of a Bus Rapid Transit, or BRT, network at a significantly lower cost of two-and-a-half to three thousand crore taka.
To ensure public participation and transparency, the Chittagong Development Authority has officially made this draft master plan open for public feedback, objections, and suggestions for a period of sixty days. This consultation window allows citizens and stakeholders to review the strategic recommendations outlined in the document before any final decisions regarding the implementation of the transportation overhaul are locked in by municipal authorities and urban planners.
Elaborating on the overarching vision behind the initiative, Mo. Abu Isa Ansari explained that the primary objective of the newly formulated traffic and transport master plan for Chittagong is to establish an integrated, safe, and environmentally friendly transportation system capable of meeting the demands of the port city's growing population. Ansari further noted that the strategic framework places strong emphasis on introducing smart traffic management, modernizing public transport, and advancing waterway and railway systems to effectively overcome persistent municipal challenges such as chronic traffic congestion and weak urban infrastructure.
In a related regional development concerning public transit infrastructure, the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority is currently implementing a project worth seventy crore taka titled 'Preliminary Survey Work Related to the Transport Master Plan of Chittagong Metropolitan Area Including Metro Rail Feasibility Study.' Financial backing for this parallel initiative is being provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency, commonly referred to as KOICA, highlighting international collaboration in the broader region's ongoing transportation planning efforts.
