The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a Tk462.99 crore project to upgrade the Z-1040 link road from the Anwara end of the Karnaphuli Tunnel to Gachhbari on the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar National Highway.
The approval was granted at ECNEC’s meeting on Tuesday morning at the NEC Conference Room in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chair Muhammad Yunus. The project will be fully government-funded and is scheduled for implementation from October 2025 to December 2028, covering Anwara and Chandanaish upazilas.
Under the project, a 21.08-kilometre stretch from the Karnaphuli Tunnel to Gachhbari will be upgraded to national highway standards to ensure faster, safer travel and ease congestion in Anwara and Chandanaish towns. Currently, vehicles travelling from Dhaka to Cox’s Bazar via the Karnaphuli Tunnel cover around 39 km through Patiya and Gachhbari.
The new route will cut the distance by roughly 18 km, saving about 35 minutes on average.
The road links key industrial and tourist destinations, including KAFCO, the Korean Export Processing Zone, Parki Sea Beach, the Marine Academy, the shrine of Hazrat Shah Mohsen Aulia (RA), and CUFL, making it one of the busiest corridors in the area.
The project includes widening 16.48 km of road from Gachhbari to Joykali Bazar, constructing a new 2.50 km stretch from Syed Kuchiar Mor to Sholokata, and widening 2.10 km from Sholokata to Kalabibir Dighi Mor (R-170) to 10.30 metres.
Major works will also cover land acquisition, embankment and pavement widening, construction of new rigid RCC pavements, 18 RCC box culverts, three PC/RCC girder bridges, drain-cum-footpaths, retaining walls, and utility relocation.
After multiple reviews, the project cost was reduced by Tk3.36 crore and the implementation period extended by one year and six months. Once completed, the link road is expected to strengthen connectivity between the Karnaphuli Tunnel and the Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar National Highway, improving traffic flow and regional access.
