The much-awaited Shaheed Ahsanullah Master Flyover adjacent to the south side of Tongi Rail Station will be opened to traffic on Sunday.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the flyover built at a cost of nearly Tk 24 crore.

Roads and Highways Department sources said the construction work of the flyover began on March 16 in 2006 and Tk 18.33 crore was earmarked to complete the flyover on March 15 in 2008.

In the preliminary design, the length of the flyover was 42.68 meters and the link roads on both sides were 450 meters.

As locals started movement demanding changes in its design, as there was no arrangement for movement of the people under the flyover. In the face of the movement, the work of the flyover stopped within seven to eight months.

Later in June 2007, the work of the flyover resumed following a revised design.

In the changed design, its length was increased to 350 meters and the link roads also increased to 200 meters, while the cost enhanced to Taka 23.78 crore. The time fixed to complete the flyover was March this year.

There is 7.5-meter space in each lane of the two-lane flyover. The width of its footpath is six meters and the number of spans is 14.

An additional amount of about Taka 5.50 crore was spent due to changes in design and increase in time of construction work, the sources said.

With the opening of the flyover, traffic jam in Dhaka and Tongi will be reduced to a great extent.

Vehicles from Dhaka and northern parts will be able to go to Narsingdi, Bhairab, Sylhet and Kishoreganj via Tongi, avoiding severe traffic jam in Dhaka city and Kanchpur Bridge.

Ahsanullah Master, who was elected parliament member from the area in 1996 and 2001, placed his demand at Jatiya Sangsad on different occasions for constructing a flyover near Tongi Rail Station.

In recognition to his contribution, the PM directed the authorities concerned to name the flyover after his name.