The lifeblood of any city, town, or village for that matter, is its transportation network. Roads and avenues are what facilitates the movement of goods and labor, keeping the economy ticking. They are how you travel from Point A to Point B. The sidewalks of these roads are brimming with life, with the iconic street-side hawker stalls and nondescript crowds common to most cities. And Dhaka is no exception to that. Being the country’s capital, as well as its economic heart, the roads and avenues located inside of the city serve an essential purpose. This is why in today’s article, we will be discussing some of the major roads in Dhaka. Let’s begin!
Sadarghat-Gabtoli Road
Located on the western edge of Dhaka city, the Sadarghat-Gabtoli Road, more commonly known as Mohammadpur Beribadh, is a road that connects Old Dhaka with Gabtoli and extends into the N5 National Highway. The road might seem nondescript at first, with a closer resemblance to a regional highway than a city avenue but it serves a critical function, i.e, it allows the movement of goods from Old Dhaka and Sadarghat to the Northern parts of the country. It encompasses rapidly developing areas such as Bosila, Sankar, Rayer Bazar, Hazaribagh, etc. Numerous housing projects have also sprung up alongside the road, indicating a positive future for the rapidly developing areas that are located adjacent to the road.
Mirpur Road
This massive stretch of road, spanning from Dhaka New Market to the Mirpur 10 Circle, is one of Dhaka’s most important roads. It is the backbone of the eastern side of Dhaka city, covering most of the major areas in this side of the town, including Azimpur, Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, and Mirpur. On weekdays, it serves mostly schoolchildren and office goers, seeing a lot of traffic during peak hours. The areas adjacent to the road are well developed, with numerous offices, banks, showrooms, shopping malls, hospitals, restaurants, and gas stations dotted alongside the road.
There are a few iconic locations on the road as well, including New Market, the Prime Minister’s Residence (Ganabhaban), Asad Gate, and the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. On the southern tip of the road, it connects with Nilkhet Road, which leads towards the Dhaka University Area, as well as areas such as Ramna, Shegunbagicha, Gulistan, and Motijheel. On the intersection in Gabtoli, extending towards the Dhaka-Aricha Highway. And at the northernmost tip of the road, it connects with the Mirpur-10 Circle, from where all of Mirpur is easily accessible. Its sheer length makes it one of the major roads in Dhaka currently.
Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue
This avenue stretches from the TSC Circle inside the Dhaka University Area to the Bijoy Sarani Intersection. It is one of the busiest roads in Dhaka, as it plays host to one of Dhaka’s most popular bus routes, the Motijheel to Abdullahpur route, that stretches the length of the city. The areas adjacent to Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenues are extremely developed, with numerous businesses, major government hospitals, a financial district, multiple shopping malls, and many restaurants located on the road. It is frequented mostly by office goers, and peak hours can be crazy on this road.
The road also hosts some of Dhaka’s most famous intersections. This includes the TSC Roundabout, Shahbagh Intersection, Sonargaon Hotel Intersection, and most importantly, Farmgate, which is a major bus junction where most of the buses in different routes stop to pick up passengers. Furthermore, much of the MRT Line-6 of the Dhaka Metro Rail Project runs through Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue. Its construction has made traveling through the road a bit more difficult at present. But the completion of the MRT Line-6 on the road will improve traffic conditions of the road and cement its status as one of the major roads in Dhaka city!
Moghbazar Road
This road starts at the Kakrail Circle and extends to Mohakhali Kacha Bazar. It runs through numerous areas, including Eskaton, Shiddheshwari, Moghbazar, and the Tejgaon Industrial Area. There is a lot of traffic on this road, as many factories are located in Tejgaon. There’s also a massive truck depot adjacent to the road, as it is a popular road for cross country truckers. Another landmark on the road is the Mohakhali Bus Terminal. Most buses traveling to and from the northern part of the country use this terminal as their base. Tejgaon is also a thriving financial hub, with numerous organizations having their head offices in the area.
Moghbazar Road also has the Mouchak-Moghbazar Flyover, a flyover that connects Banglamotor, Tejgaon, Kawran Bazar, Moghbazar, and Mouchak. It has greatly reduced traffic on the road, especially in the Moghbazar Intersection, where traffic used to be horrendous. The areas on the southern side of the road are more residential and commercial in nature, compared to the industrial nature of the areas adjacent to the northern side of the road. The road extends into the New Airport Road, which is part of the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway, which we will discuss in a future article.
Today’s article is the first part of a two-part series on the major roads in Dhaka. In a future article, we will be taking a look at some of the other major roads in Dhaka, including Begum Rokeya Sarani in Mirpur, and Hatirjheel. Follow the Bproperty Blog for more articles like this.
