Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Tunnel Under The Karnaphuli River, Chittagong, Bangladesh Editorial Image

The Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel (or Karnaphuli Tunnel) is a 3.4 km long, twin underwater road tunnel in the port city of Chattogram, Bangladesh.It is the first under-river road tunnel in South Asia. The tunnel has a 10.6 m internal diameter and has a minimal clearance to the Karnaphuli Riverbed of 31m. It was constructed using the slurry shield tunnelling method due to the sandy, silty soils in the region. The tunnel is part of the China Government’s ‘One Belt, One Road’ initiative, providing a key link in cross-country transport corridors. China Communications Construction Company constructed both the tunnel and ancillary infrastructure, including the approach roads. The estimated cost of the project was approximately US$1 billion, with partial financing from the Exim Bank of China. This project will have a transformative impact on access to the southeast corner of Bangladesh, including the tourist areas around Cox’s Bazar. It is expected to service more than 17,000 vehicles per day initially, but this number is expected to grow as interconnecting infrastructure is upgraded.