Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has officially opened the 11.5km Airport- Farmgate segment of the 19.73km Dhaka Elevated Expressway.
According to the Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Limited (BIFFL, a government-owned non-banking financial institution) the project involves construction of a four-lane main carriageway and one elevated link road. The four-lane dual main carriageway is 19.7km while a four-lane dual Link-Road Carriageway is around 3km long. There are 32 on-off ramps, eight toll plazas and 43 toll collection booths.
Bangladesh media reports note that around 65% of the project is complete. Construction started in January 2020 and the remaining sections to be finished next year are the Farmgate-to-Moghbazar and Moghbazar-to-Kutubkhali in the capital city Dhaka.
The Italian-Thai Development Corporation has entered into a US$1.062 billion contract with China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) for building the Dhaka Elevated Expressway, which is a public-private partnership.
Italian-Thai Development is the largest construction contractor in Thailand. Projects include Bangkok's international Suvarnabhumi Airport and the city's mass transit subway system. The company was established in 1958 by a Thai, Chaijudh Karnasuta, and an Italian, Giorgio Berlingieri. Currently the company is run by an all-Thai management team led by members of the Karnasuta family. The current president, Premchai Karnasuta, is the second son of co-founder Karnasuta.
