Info4Now – Finally, the work of Padma Bridge, the dream project of Bangladesh is about to be completed. Probably in 2022, this bridge will be opened for vehicles. The roadway slab laying of the 6.15 km long Padma Bridge has been completed on Monday. Now only the paving of the road has remained. If all goes well, the Padma Bridge will open next year. This ‘Dream Bridge’ is the most challenging construction in the history of Bangladesh. And after completion of the Padma Bridge, it will be the longest bridge in Bangladesh and will surpass the present longest bridge, Bangabandhu Bridge, commonly called as Jamuna Bridge.

In 2001, the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the name plaque of the Padma Bridge adjacent to the fish market at Mawa Ferry Ghat. Then the government was changed and the coalition government of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami came to power and the work was stopped. In 2009, when Sheikh Hasina came to power again, the work also started again. Although the Asian Development Bank (ADB) came to investing but it turned away. After that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced the construction of the Padma Bridge with the Bangladesh Government’s own funds. After going through many ups and downs, the construction of the Padma Bridge finally started in December 2014 by China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd.

After the installation of the first span on pole number 37 and 38 were completed on September 30, 2016, the Padma Bridge came into sight. Then spans of 150 meters length were placed on 42 pillars one by one. The 6.15 km long Padma Bridge was fully visible on December 10, 2020. At the same time, other works including the laying of roadways and railway slabs were going on. With the completion of the roadway slab on Monday, the Padma Bridge is waiting to be inaugurated fully. A total of 2,918 roadway slabs have been laid on the roads.

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Dewan Md Abdul Kader, the engineer in charge of the Padma Bridge, said, “Work on the Padma river bridge has gone one step further. And also gas pipeline installation through the middle of Padma Bridge has started. At the same time, the work of the railway line is also coming to an end. The work will be completed before June next year. ” Abdul Kader also said that everyone is working day and night for the Padma Bridge construction project.

Earlier, Mr. Obaidul Quader, Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, visited the Padma Bridge project area and announced, “Anytime in June 2022, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate this bridge.” To fulfill the target of completion of Padma Bridge before June 2022, domestic and foreign workers are working day and night. So far, 94.50% of the work on the main bridge has been completed. Earlier, laying the railway slab of the two-storey bridge has already been completed on 20th June this year. And now only about 5% of the whole Padma Bridge is left. All Bangladeshis are eagerly waiting for the inauguration of Bangladesh’s ‘Dream Bridge’.

By Amir Uddin Ahammad

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