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CHATTOGRAM, Oct 31, 2025 (BSS) – At least 87 percent of construction work on the 9.5-kilometre-long Kalurghat–Chaktai four-lane Marine Drive has been completed, sources at the Chattogram Development Authority (CDA) said.

Project Director Engineer Rajib Das told BSS that the embankment-cum-marine drive along the west bank of the Karnaphuli River, costing Tk 2,275 crore, is progressing rapidly.

A 10-kilometre stretch has been completed, with 1.5 kilometres of land recently acquired from the Kalurghat Industrial Area to the Railway Bridge. CDA has compensated landowners to ensure smooth construction, he added.

A four-kilometre walkway from Kalpolok at Chaktai to Bolirhat is expected to open next month.

CDA also plans to develop a five-kilometre tourist zone along the riverbank in Bakalia, including a walkway from Shah Amanat Bridge to Bolirhat and a restaurant with entertainment facilities for children.

The embankment road will be four lanes wide, 24.5 feet above sea level, and 80 feet wide, following JBIC guidelines and the 1995 Chattogram Metropolitan Master Plan.

Twelve high-tide protection regulators and pump houses are being installed at canal mouths to drain rainwater efficiently, 11 of which have already been completed.

Construction began in June 2019 with the inauguration of a sluice gate at the Chaktai Canal estuary. The government has granted a one-year extension, setting the new completion date for June 2026.