Govt iterates opening Padma Bridge to traffic by June

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader Tuesday said the much-sought Padma Bridge will be opened to traffic by June next, helping the government greatly boost transportation and connectivity across 21 south-western districts.

Ninety-eight percent of the main work on the bridge has been completed and the overall progress of the project is 90.5 percent, Obaidul Quader said.

The minister said this at a press briefing after a views-exchange meeting with various officials of the Bridges Division in the capital.

Bridges Division Secretary Md Manzur Hossain and other officials were present at that time.

Eighty per cent work on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel under the Karnafuli River in Chittagong has also been completed, the minister said, adding that the work on the project is being done with an aim to complete it by December next.

Of the three phases of Dhaka Elevated Expressway,78.5 percent of the first phase from Airport to Banani has been completed and the progress of Banani Moghbazar section is 31 percent, he added.

In response to a question from reporters about the judgement in the Sinha murder case, he said this has proved that the Sheikh Hasina government believes in the rule of law.

The project, one of the country’s largest structures, was first approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) with an estimated cost of Tk10,161 crore in 2007.  Following irreconcilable differences with the World Bank arising out of the issue of financing in 2012, the government decided to go for it alone.

The second revision of the project was approved by Ecnec on January 5, 2016 with an estimated cost of Tk 28,794 to be implemented by 2018. Without changing the project proposal, the costs were increased again to Tk 30,193 crore In June 2018.

On October 14 last year, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina opened the construction work on a rail link between Dhaka and Jashore under the ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project.’

The first phase of the ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project’ will establish a rail link between Mawa and Bhanga via Janjira and Shibchar through the Padma Multipurpose Bridge.

This will connect Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Shariatpur, Madaripur, Faridpur, Gopalganj, Narail and Jashore.

China Railway Group Limited, a Chinese government-nominated contractor, is implementing the project under the China G2G system.

The Padma Bridge is expected to raise Bangladesh’s GDP by more than one percent and benefit about three crore people across 21 south-western districts.