Overview of the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway
The Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway is a coastal expressway linking Chattogram, Bangladesh's second-largest city, with Cox's Bazar, home to the world's longest natural sea beach. It is a core infrastructure corridor connecting tourism, logistics, and economic zone development.
Cox's Bazar is the country's leading tourism destination and attracts more than 5 million visitors annually. The highway expansion is designed to relieve severe congestion on the existing two-lane road while upgrading the transport backbone for tourism growth.
Chattogram-Cox's Bazar
Route
Coastal corridor
150km
Length
2 to 4 lanes
$1.2B+
Project Cost
Estimated
RHD
Client
Road Transport Ministry
ADB/China
Funding
Blended sources
5M+
Tourists
Annual
2+
Economic Zones
Linked
Top-tier
Priority
Tourism + logistics
Segment-by-Segment Plan
Segment Plan for the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway
| Segment | Start-End | Length | Expansion | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Section 1 | Chattogram-Lohagara | 40km | 2 to 4 lanes | Mountainous alignment |
| Section 2 | Lohagara-Chakaria | 50km | 2 to 4 lanes | Flatland section |
| Section 3 | Chakaria-Cox's Bazar | 60km | 2 to 4 lanes | Coastal section |
Route Characteristics
Terrain and Environmental Challenges
Mountain Section40km, cut-and-fill and tunnels needed
Coastal Section60km, marine wind and erosion response
River Crossings10+ bridges required
Environmental ProtectionMangroves and wildlife habitats
Linked Infrastructure
Cox's Bazar AirportConnected to international expansion
Matarbari Deep Sea PortLinked via port access roads
Economic ZonesBEZA Mirsarai and Cox's Bazar
Tourism ComplexesBeach and resort developments
Opportunities for Korean Companies
01
Coastal and Mountain Road Construction
The corridor combines mountainous works such as rock cutting and tunneling with coastal protection requirements including breakwaters and erosion control. Korean contractors can leverage their experience from coastal and mountain expressway projects in Korea.
02
Bridge and Tunnel Engineering
Korean firms can participate in the construction of more than three small tunnels in the mountain stretches and more than ten river-crossing bridges. Bangladesh has relatively limited bridge and tunnel execution capacity, which strengthens the value of Korean engineering expertise.
03
Tourism Infrastructure Integration
Alongside the highway expansion, Korea can support tourism infrastructure such as roadside landscaping, service areas, and visitor information facilities. Korea's highway rest-stop and service-area operating model is also exportable to Bangladesh.
04
Smart Road Technology
The route is well suited for smart tourism-road applications such as solar road lighting, EV charging stations, and real-time traffic information systems. Korean smart-road packages could help raise the service quality of Bangladesh's tourism infrastructure.
Project Participation Flow
Participation Flow for the Highway Project
Project Intelligence
ADB and RHD
→↓
Target Segment
Select priority package
→↓
Bid Participation
ICB format
→↓
Construction
48 months
→↓
Tourism Linkage
Follow-on business
The Chattogram-Cox's Bazar Highway is a strategic corridor that supports both tourism and freight movement, creating room for a broad range of Korean construction and infrastructure technologies.
Dhaka-Chattogram Highway ExpansionReview the Dhaka-Chattogram expressway expansion project
Port Access Road ProjectReview the port access road project
highwaychattogramcox's bazartourismtransport