Sleepless on highways: Rest house delays drag on

Five years after being initiated, the construction of rest houses for long-route truck drivers along four key national highways in Bangladesh remains incomplete.

The project, initially planned for completion in June 2023, has been significantly delayed due to a major design change and may not even meet the revised deadline of December 2024.

An RHD source said that the project may not be completed within the extended timeframe as well. RHD officials explained that the design change from two-story buildings to four-story ones necessitated the time extension.

The rest houses are being built beside the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Cumilla, the Dhaka-Rangpur highway in Sirajganj, the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Magura, and the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Habiganj.

According to project sources, the project is approximately 92% complete.

The initial design allowed accommodation for 26 persons at a time, while the revised four-story design can accommodate 64 individuals.

The first and second floors of the highway rest houses are complete, and work is ongoing on the additional floors, officials involved with the project said.

KM Noor-E-Alam, the superintending engineer of RHD and project director, said, “The remaining work will be completed by December this year. The rest houses will become operational within the scheduled timeframe.”

Tenders have been called for the appointment of operators for these highway rest houses, he added.

Meanwhile, the project cost, initially estimated at Tk226 crore, increased to Tk259 crore, an increase of approximately Tk33 crore.

Currently, there are no dedicated rest houses beside the country’s highways for long-route drivers. This results in drivers becoming fatigued from long hours of continuous driving, posing a risk of accidents.

Following an instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, this project was undertaken to build rest zones for long-haul drivers.

Md Hadiuzzaman, a transport expert and professor at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), stated that the project was redesigned due to insufficient initial planning.

“The project will not be sustainable if the drivers are charged fees for their stay at the highway rest zones,” he added.

Facilities for drivers at rest houses

According to project officials, long-route drivers will be able to sleep at the highway rest houses at night and enjoy various facilities, including parking, recreation, canteens, prayer corners, first aid, workshop services, washing zones, uninterrupted power supply, and more.

Officials noted that once operational, these rest houses would provide proper rest areas for long-distance drivers, especially truck drivers, reducing travel-related fatigue.

The project is also expected to reduce road accidents and enhance highway safety, they remarked.