Decision made to build highway connecting Rahmatpur-Hizla-Mehendiganj-Bhola
A crucial decision has been taken to construct a highway on the Rahmatpur-Hizla-Mehendiganj-Bhola route to link the island district of Bhola to the country's main road network. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman issued directives to advance this major initiative rapidly during a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office in Tejgaon.
In a significant development for regional connectivity, authorities have decided to construct a major highway along the Rahmatpur-Hizla-Mehendiganj-Bhola route. The primary objective of this strategic project is to seamlessly integrate the remote island district of Bhola into the broader national road network. According to verified reports from Somakal, this vital initiative was finalized during an official high-level meeting convened on August 22, 2026.
The high-level discussions took place at the Prime Minister's Office located in Tejgaon, Dhaka. During the session, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reviewed the connectivity challenges facing the region and issued explicit directives to the concerned officials to expedite the project implementation process swiftly. This infrastructure push aims to address the longstanding transportation needs of the local population residing within the four parliamentary constituencies.
The broader effort to bridge the geographical divide has a detailed history spanning several years. Initial feasibility studies to construct bridges over the Kalabadar and Tentulia rivers along the Barishal-Bhola road were first initiated back in 2013. Subsequently, follow-up feasibility surveys were conducted again in the year 2020 to reassess the engineering requirements and traffic projections for the ambitious water-crossing structures.
Momentum for the bridge component previously advanced on October 8, 2020, when a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs granted in-principle approval to implement the Barishal-Bhola road bridge construction project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The proposed bridge design at that stage spanned approximately 10 kilometers in length, with an initial estimated construction cost pegged at roughly 12,916 crore taka.
As planning progressed through administrative channels, an updated draft Project Development Proposal was prepared and officially forwarded to the Planning Commission and the Economic Relations Division in January 2025. This ongoing administrative groundwork ultimately culminated in the latest directives issued by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Tejgaon office, providing fresh momentum to the endeavor that serves approximately 2.2 million people living in the Bhola district.
