COWI has been chosen as consultant to approve the design and construction on the 3.4km long Karnaphuli Tunnel in Bangladesh. The tunnel is part of the One Belt One Road initiative – the world’s largest and most extensive infrastructure investment connecting China with Europe and Africa.
The complex Karnaphuli Tunnel under the Karnaphuli river is a part of a 20km highway designed to improve the infrastructure in Bangladesh enabling growth and development in the region.
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The approx. $530M project is primarily financed by the Chinese through Export-Import Bank of China under the One Belt One Road initiative.
“COWI, together with local consultancies, has been chosen to review and approve the design and ensure that all construction and design meets the standards as described in the project. Having us and the Australian partner SMEC is a condition for the investment and our job is to ensure the right quality in the construction,” says Bo Bendtsen, Vice President in COWI Tunnels and Underground Infrastructure.
The 500m of tunnel approach structures and working shaft structures will start in June and run through to February 2018.
Work on access roads and viaduct will commence in early 2018 and run to 2021.
COWI is the Independent Checker of the design, with two major tasks, the Design Review and the Construction Supervision Consultant.
The One Belt One Road initiative (OBOR) aims to revive the old Silk Road via a trade and infrastructure network spanning from East Asia to Europe and Africa with roads, railways, ports, pipelines and everything in between in a region with a huge need for improving the infrastructure. $900bn is planned for investments in the initiative over the next ten years.
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