DHAKA: The Communications Affairs Ministry on Thursday singed an agreement with four international companies to implement the ‘Dhaka-Chittagong Expressway Construction Project’.

The ministry’s Roads and Highways Department (RHD) singed the deal with SMC International Private Limited, Ocilla In-joint International with Oriental Consul Limited, Japan and Association with Castalia Limited and New Zeeland and SPE Consultant Limited Company.

The agreement was signed at the conference room of the RHD in the city at 2:30pm.

RHD chief engineer Mujibul Haque and Gobis Stut, head of delegation of the four companies, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

RHD will implement the project while Asian Development Bank will finance it.

The expressway will shorten the Dhaka to Chittagong travel from 12 hour to three hours only as vehicle would run with an average speed of 100 kilometers an hour.

The project works will begin in 2019 and finish in 2025.

BDST: 1840 HRS JUL 03, 2014