A total of 496.50 kilometres of highways will be upgraded to six lanes and another 102 kilometres to eight lanes by 2040 under the ADB-formulated Master Plan-2040, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam told parliament on Sunday.
The minister disclosed the information during the question-answer session in the National Parliament on Sunday afternoon.
Pabna-5 constituency MP Md Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas asked in a written question about the current fast track projects and the timeline for upgrading all national highways to six and eight lanes.
In response, Sheikh Rabul Alam said projects being implemented under the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) are considered fast track projects. However, no ongoing project under the Roads and Public Highways Department falls under that category.
The minister identified the current fast track projects under DMTCL as MRT Line-6, MRT Line-1, MRT Line-5: Northern Route, and MRT Line-5: Southern Route.
The road minister said the total length of highways across the country under the Roads and Public Highways Department is 22,736.580 kilometres.
Of these, he said, 883.61 kilometres are four-lane highways, 10,488 kilometres are six-lane highways, and 17.347 kilometres are eight-lane highways.
