All set to illuminate Padma Bridge

The lampposts on the Padma Bridge are expected to get lit in the next week as the inauguration date has been set on June 25, according to official concerned.

Project-related officials and workers are spending busy time to ensure proper electrical supply as well as to ensure that all accessories work properly.

A delegation led by Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim visited the venue on Thursday morning.

“The inaugural festival at Khathalbari will be held under tight security. There will be CCTV footage from Jajira in Shariatpur to Bhanga in Faridpur on the day,” he said.

The inauguration of the Padma Bridge will be held at Kanthalbari of Shibchar in Madaripur district as over 10 lakh people are expected to join it, according to sources.

The electrical engineers of the bridge department are working towards the goal of lighting the 415 lampposts of the bridge by the inauguration day. Saddam Hussein, an assistant engineer in the bridge department, confirmed the information at noon on Wednesday.

According to the Bridges Division and Palli Bidyut Samiti, 328 lampposts have been set up on the 6.15 km long Padma Bridge and 87 lampposts have been installed on the 3.68 km flyover on both sides. A total of 415 lampposts have been installed to illuminate the 9.63 km roadway.

The work on installing electrical cables began after the completion of bulb installation in the lamposts on April 18.

In addition to that, the project workers are busy putting on signs and road surface marking on the bridge. Steel railings are being installed on the boundary walls of the bridge.

Earlier on May 24, electricity was connected to the bridge substation at pole number 42 on the Jazira side. An 80 KW connection cable was laid from the Shariatpur Palli Bidyut Samiti substation additionally.

Eight feeders have been installed on the bridge to control the power supply. These will be connected to the substation power supply after cable installation is completed.

Afterwards, the project officials will experimentally turn on the lights to check the connection.

In addition to the lampposts on the bridge, ‘architectural lights’ will also be installed. These lights will be lit up with various designs on different national holidays.

Architectural lighting work will be completed before Eid-ul-Azha after the bridge is inaugurated.

Saddam Hossain, the assistant engineer of the bridge division, the bridge substation is already connected to the electricity supply, but the feeders are not yet connected.

“We expect to finish the cable installation within a few days,” he said.

According to official sources, murals and plaques are being erected at Mawa and Jajira for the official inauguration of the bridge. Fountains and sculptures of hilsas are being constructed to create a captivating environment.

A weight scale is being constructed to measure the weight of the trucks. Tarcrete work on the main bridge was completed last month. The official inauguration date has been announced as the bridge is ready for vehicular traffic.