Over the past decade, several flyovers and an elevated expressway have been built in Chattogram to ease traffic congestion and ensure faster travel. But repeated design changes after construction, unexpected curves, signal-free junctions, inadequate safety measures, and flawed engineering have turned these structures into accident-prone corridors. Regular crashes are reported on several infrastructures, including the elevated expressway, the Bakalia–Karnaphuli Flyover, and the Dewanhat–Bahaddarhat Flyover along the city’s outer ring road. Experts say poor design coordination and the absence of a permanent traffic management plan are at the core of these accidents.
On November 20, a private car veered off the elevated expressway near the Bandar Police Station in Nimtala and fell to the ground. A man named Md Shafiq was crushed to death, while the driver and five others were injured. The vehicle reportedly broke through the railing due to excessive speed. Several other crashes, including motorcycles, have occurred on the expressway earlier.
According to experts, inadequate traffic surveys during construction, mid-project design changes, and insufficient space around key connections have created unsafe curves that do not meet international standards. They recommend immediate design reviews, correction of road curves, stronger guard rails and guide lines systems, and stricter speed-control measures. Alongside these recommendations, they also call for more road signage, CCTV monitoring, and improved night-time lighting.
Bahaddarhat Flyover is the city’s first elevated road. Two major accidents occurred during its construction. In the first incident, a girder collapsed onto the road—luckily causing no casualties. Later, another girder fell, killing 13 people and injuring many others. After the construction of the flyover was completed, a ramp connection toward Kalurghat was added. While all vehicles used the ramp initially, cracks in the pillars later restricted it to light vehicles only. Even today, construction and engineering assessments concerning the ramp remain incomplete.
Visits to the Bahaddarhat and Muradpur flyovers and various parts of the expressway found lanes narrowing abruptly, insufficient warning signs before bends or slopes, and poor speed-control systems. As a result, high-speed motorcycles, private cars, and even heavy vehicles frequently lose control, drivers and experts complain.
All flyovers in Chattogram were built by the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA). Traffic and transport experts have identified design flaws in each structure. The flyover stretching from Bottali Railway Station to Dhaniyalapara also shows signs of poor planning. Being only two lanes wide, overtaking attempts by fast-moving vehicles often lead to accidents. Similarly, the overpass from Dhaniyalapara to DT Road (Dhaka Trunk Road) lacks a median, causing severe congestion and crash risks during overtaking.
The Muradpur Flyover (formerly Akhtaruzzaman Flyover), stretching from Sholokbahar to Lalkhan Bazar, has become one of the most dangerous routes for vehicles. After completing the construction and changing the design subsequently, several non-original ramps have been added, severely compromising vehicle stability and safety. A steep, high-rise ramp near Gate No. 2 was built due to a lack of space, which was not included in the original design, creating a risky drop that frequently destabilizes fast-moving vehicles.
Later, the flyover was connected to the elevated expressway at the Lalkhan Bazar end. A new ramp from the GEC intersection is also being built to connect to the expressway from Muradpur Flyover. These design-altering additions have created sudden curves and uneven grading, increasing the likelihood of crashes.
Speaking to Bonik Barta, Mahfuzur Rahman, project director of the Elevated Expressway Project and CDA’s executive engineer, said: “Safety measures are incorporated once a flyover is built. If vehicles exceed prescribed speed limits, accidents will happen. Most crashes on the elevated expressway occurred due to speeding. That is why drivers must follow guidelines and remain alert.”
He further said, “The construction of the Elevated Expressway is not yet finished. Although 90 percent of the construction has been completed, the additional ramps being taken later are still under construction. Once the project is fully completed, a comprehensive monitoring and speed-control system will be put in place. Although the expressway has several curves, they are not unsafe. Strong barriers and speed-control warnings are already installed to avoid accidents.” The engineer believes that drivers should maintain a certain speed while following the guidelines while driving on flyover.
Transport specialists say that once completed, the elevated expressway will connect Bahaddarhat or Gate No. 2 directly to Patenga. However, because it links with the Muradpur Flyover, the original 15-kilometer length will extend to 21 kilometers. Vehicle use remains very low yet due to the toll. Although projections estimated an average of 39,000 vehicles per day in 2025, only more than 8,000 vehicles currently use it. With low traffic volumes, vehicles tend to travel at very high speeds. Moreover, the expressway was opened before all work was completed, leaving speed-control features and safety installations incomplete. That is why experts warn that unless urgent corrective measures are taken, the risk of serious accidents on Chattogram’s elevated expressway and flyovers will continue to rise.
Engr. Delwar Mazumder, former chairman of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB), Chattogram Centre, told Bonik Barta, “Not a single flyover in Chattogram was built following a full feasibility study, nor do their designs match the characteristics of local vehicles. Frequent design changes during and after construction show severe inefficiency of government institutions involved in the project. Safety should be the first priority when building infrastructure for fast-moving vehicles. The unnatural curves on the elevated expressway are unacceptable in any way. No matter how many barriers are added, such bends will always expose drivers to severe crash risks.”
The main structure of the BDT 42.98 billion elevated expressway was completed in 2023. It contains several large and small curves. The most dangerous ones are located at the Barik Building Intersection, CEPZ Intersection, and Kathgarh. Additional bends also exist near Saltgola and Dewanhat.
Although CDA attempted to reduce the tight curve of the nearly 90-degree turns using semi-circular adjustments, these measures are insufficient. Once vehicle volume increases, the expressway’s curved sections will become the most accident-prone. They recommend deploying digital traffic systems and multiple surveillance mechanisms to ensure safety.