Following the full structural visibility of the much-awaited Padma Bridge, the authorities concerned vigorously want to speed up the rest of the work to open the bridge for vehicular movment and running of train.
The Bridges and Railway ministries want to complete the rest of construction work. Once all the road and railway slabs are installed on the bridge, the authorities will not take much time to open the bridge.
The dream of Padma Multipurpose Bridge has been materialised with the installation of the very last (41st) span on Thursday last week. The bridge will open for use in March 2022 and by that time the construction of the rail track on the lower deck and road on the upper deck will be completed, bridge division sources said.
Road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader after installing all the spans over the pillars said, “Some 1,333 slabs out of 2,917 have already been installed over the spans. Similarly, 1,942 railway sleepers out of 2,959 have already been installed. Till now 82.50 percent of the total construction work has been done and 91 percent of the construction works of the main bridge is complete.”
According to Padma Bridge engineers, a lot of construction-related work is yet to be done even after installing the spans. The remaining works as per schedule are supposed to take around two more years. But the authorities concerned have instructed the contractors to complete the rest of the work within a year. Road division, bridge lighting, and road marking will be conducted simultaneously after installation of road and railway slabs concrete casting.
With the completion of the span installation, no heavy construction work will be left. As a result, if more manpower can be engaged, the work can be completed quickly. The government is interested in inaugurating the bridge on any national day. The bridge is more likely to be opened on March 26, 2022.
Once the bridge is open to traffic, districts that will gain benefit from the Padma Bridge economically are Khulna, Bagerhat, Jashore, Satkhira, Narail, Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenaidah, Magura, Barishal, Pirojpur, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barguna, and Jhalokati (Barishal), Gopalganj, Faridpur, Madaripur, Shariatpur, and Rajbari.
It will also boost the image of the country abroad since it will connect the country to the Trans Asian Network.
