The Road Transport and Highways Division and four Japanese construction companies today signed a deal to construct three new bridges and a flyover, worth around Tk 8.8 thousand crore, on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

Addressing the deal signing ceremony at a city hotel as chief guest, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the Dhaka-Chittagong highway is the main lifeline of the country's economy.

"The new bridges would be built at a time when the existing bridges have already exceeded the capacity of vehicular movements," the minister said, adding that the construction of the new bridges – second Kanchpur bridge, second Meghna bridge and second Gumti bridge – and the flyover at Kanchpur would be completed by 2018.

Obaidul Quader also thanked Japan government for their support for Bangladesh.

As part of the project, three existing bridges would also be renovated. Japan government will provide Tk 6.5 thousand crore in the project as per a deal signed on March 10, 2013.

Chief Engineer M Firoz Iqbal of Road Transport and Highways Division and Genta Tabe, chief representative of Obayshi Corporation, Shimizu Corporation, JFE Engineer Corporation and IHI Infra Systems Company Ltd, signed the deal.