The government of Bangladesh will build a 13.32Km expressway from Shantinagar to Dhaka-Mawa road under a public-private partnership (PPP) initiative, aiming to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

Rajdhani Unnyan Kartripakkha, a goverment agency, has already completed the pre-feasibility study for the expressway, recommending a preferred route.

The project will be developed on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis. The construction works are expected to be completed in 2016.

The project cost is estimated at Tk 2,670 crore (US$338 million), including Tk 461 crore (US$58.4 million) for land acquisition. The Government will manage land acquisition.

Of the total length of the project, the 4-lane of flyover portion will be 6.438 km while the 2-lane portion will be 6.882 km. Construction of a new two-lane 245m bridge is also included in the project.

The purpose of this project is to facilitate north-south traffic movement by increasing the traffic-carrying capacity of Dhaka city.