Padma Bridge gets total visibility

The last of the 2,917 slabs was set between Pier No 12 and 13 on Monday making a new history of completion of road connectivity on the largest multipurpose bridge on the River Padma.

Padma Bridge Project Executive Engineer Dewan Md Abdul Quader said that the last slab was set at 10:12 am in Munshiganj’s Mawa point of the bridge.

With the last slab placed, the road of the bridge is ready for asphalting, promising broader connectivity.

Awami League General Secretary, and also Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that asphalting of the road would start in October as the government has a plan to open the bridge in June 2022.

A physical progress report of the bridge said that overall progress on the project reached 87.25 per cent while work progress of the bridge touched 94.25 per cent in July.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority started implementing the 6.15-kilometre-long road-cum-railway Padma Bridge with approach roads between Mawa point at Munshiganj and Janjira point in Shariatpur to connect the capital with 21 south-western districts of the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the construction work officially on December 12, 2015.

Till now, the cost of the fast-track project has stood at Tk 30,193 crore.