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Transport Network of Bangladesh

Bangladesh has a rich and evolving transport history that stretches back centuries. The earliest formal roads on what is now the map of Bangladesh were built by the Mughal emperors for military movement and commercial trade. Most of these routes fell into disuse by the late 18th century. The most celebrated among them was the Grand Trunk Road, originally constructed as the Sonargaon Sarak. Dhaka was linked to surrounding districts through reasonably well-maintained roads — a fact evidenced by the surviving remains of bridges at Tongi and Pagla, built by Mir Jumla in 1661.

Road development during the British colonial period was limited. By 1947, the total length of pucca (metalled, hard-surfaced) road of acceptable quality across East Pakistan was less than 480 km. Among the more notable stretches was a 56.32 km road connecting Sylhet and Tamabeel. The total kacha (unmetalled, unpaved) road network at that time extended to roughly 36,000 km across the province.

Development accelerated considerably after 1947. By 1970, the province had expanded its pucca road coverage to 3,860 km. The achievements that followed Bangladesh's independence in 1971 were equally impressive. By 1985, the Roads and Highways Department maintained 5,404 km of pucca roads and 3,112 km of kacha roads. District councils and municipalities added approximately 9,000 km of pucca roads and around 15,000 km of kacha roads. By 2010, the total pucca road length across Bangladesh had grown to 20,947.73 kilometres — a dramatic transformation of the country's highway network.

In 1947, only 4,380 motor vehicles operated across East Pakistan. That figure climbed to 133,253 by 1985. Despite the numerical growth, the number of actual vehicle owners remained relatively stable at around 12,000 through that period. The 1990s marked a turning point. Massive investment by the Local Government Engineering Division in rural road construction, along with growing private sector involvement, transformed the transport landscape. Town bus services, inter-city routes, and private taxi operations all improved substantially through the introduction of larger, modern vehicles. The road infrastructure was upgraded through renovation and systematic extension of existing highways. By June 2011, the number of registered vehicles on the Bangladesh network of roads had reached 1,596,000 — including buses and minibuses, 94,298 microbuses, 87,182 trucks, 215,786 private cars, 12,307 taxis, 191,153 autorickshaws, and 848,372 motorcycles.

The Bangladesh national highway map today reflects a structured classification system. National highways, regional roads, and local routes together form the layered road network that connects the country's eight divisions, 64 districts, and thousands of upazilas. The road map can be explored in several formats: national highway routes (N-type roads), regional connectors, and roads linking land ports to major urban centres. Each layer serves a distinct purpose — from facilitating heavy freight movement between border crossings to supporting daily commutes within districts. For detailed exploration, a map with grid reference is particularly useful for navigation and logistics planning.

Source: Banglapedia. Article written by AI.