Society & progress

The Karnaphuli river tunnel in Chattogram

Beneath the Karnaphuli, a road tunnel links Chattogram’s two riverbanks and brings a different kind of journey to the port city’s transport map.

Crossing a river usually means watching the water from a bridge or a boat. The Karnaphuli road tunnel takes traffic beneath the riverbed instead. Opened to traffic in 2023, it connects the Patenga side of Chattogram with Anwara on the opposite bank, adding a crossing south of the city’s established bridges. Two separate tubes carry traffic in opposite directions. Beneath a busy river, the road depends on systems that are less visible than its entrances: lighting, ventilation, drainage, monitoring and emergency arrangements. Drivers need to follow posted restrictions and speed limits, since a tunnel offers a different environment from an open road. Its usefulness is connected to what happens outside the portals. Approach roads, onward routes and the location of homes and workplaces all influence who uses it. For a city shaped by its port and river, the tunnel is a new transport link, not a replacement for the wider network that moves people and goods around Chattogram.