The officials said they will start a field survey soon for the road. Based on that survey report, the government will ascertain how much land is needed for the road and acquire the land accordingly.

"The approach road will not be more than 1.5 km long from the Rayerbazar embankment to BRTC bus terminal on Satmasjid Road, but this will make the bridge efficient, enabling the vehicles to run to and from the bridge easily," said an official of Roads and Highways Department (RHD).

He also said they have decided to construct the road as straight as possible.

The officials said they are hopeful of getting funds for the approach road from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, the funding authority of the bridge.

The probable end of the approach road at Satmasjid Road is now occupied by a powerful syndicate which has built a concrete multi-storeyed market recently, demolishing the tin-shed market there. The entire market is on the public land.

"The government is determined to go for bold action needed to complete the approach road and it would demolish any structure creating obstacles to the road," said the RHD official.

Meanwhile, piling work for the bridge is now going in the river. The officials are hopeful that there would be significant progress in the basement construction of the bridge within next three months.

The 705-metre long and 10-metre wide bridge will be constructed at Basila in Mohammadpur at a cost of Tk 48 crore. This will be the third bridge on the river Buriganga that will connect the capital with its outskirts.

"The progress of the bridge project is more than satisfactory. We are hopeful to complete it before December 2009, the fixed time for the project," said Muzammel Haque, project director (PD), 3rd Buriganga Bridge.

He however said they are facing some problems with the encroachers in the project area. "We will evict them as soon as possible from the government land," said the PD.

The bridge on the south-western side of the capital would extend the city. It will also facilitate the development of the west bank of Buriganga as an industrial zone.

In addition to connecting a vast area in Keraniganj and parts of Savar area, the third Buriganga Bridge would facilitate creating two more routes as alternatives to Mawa road in the west and Savar road in the east.