Toll collections on Padma Bridge have crossed the milestone of Tk 1000 crore. In 453 days, Tk 1 thousand crore 92 thousand and 150 have been collected up to 10 am on Wednesday (20 September).
Authorities said that besides toll collection, the dream bridge has brought about a revolutionary change in transportation of people and has contributed to the progress of Bengalees, changing the lives of hundreds of thousands.
The bridge was opened to vehicles on June 26, 2022, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had inaugurated it on June 25. Afterwards, the bridge was never devoid of vehicles even for a minute. As a result, the toll collection reached one thousand crore in just 453 days. During this time, 72 lakh 96 thousand 622 vehicles crossed this bridge. The record for highest amount of toll collected in 24 hours is Tk 4 crore 61 lakh. The daily average toll collection is over Tk 2 crore 20 lakh 75 thousand.
People can cross the Padma River in 7-8 minutes using the bridge, reducing their hassles greatly. Toufik Hasan from Barishal says, “The Padma Bridge is a testament to what a huge blessing a bridge can be to the people of a region.” Helal Uddin from Bhanga, Faridpur says, “It is now possible to commute to Dhaka for work by road, and when the railway of Padma Bridge opens up, it will be an even bigger dream that comes true.”
Beauty Akter from Khulna says, “The Padma Bridge has brought about a huge change to the socio-economic situation by creating a link between our Khulna and the capital.” Nazim Miah, a farmer from Maksudpur, Gopalganj says, “The harvests are getting a good price after the Padma Bridge has been opened. That’s why I’ve expanded my farm.”
Amirul Haider Chowdhury, Additional Director of Bangladesh Bridge Authority says, “Not only has the bridge reached a milestone of revenue collection, it has brought about a revolutionary change in the transportation system for the people of the southern region and made the country more self-reliant.” Prof Shagufta Yasmin Emily, Member of Parliament (MP) of the Munshiganj-2 seat says, “The Padma Bridge has sped up the country’s rural economy. Crossing the Padma River is no longer a hassle, it is now a possibility.”
At the age of 1 year, 2 months and 25 days, the bridge’s toll collection has crossed Tk 1000 crore. This revenue was collected by Wednesday morning, including credit and ETCS. On the first day, the bridge had collected Tk 2 crore74 lakh 66 thousand 850. On the same day, 31,197 vehicles from the Mawa end and 30,639 vehicles from the Jajira end crossed the Padma Bridge.
After spending almost Tk 32 thousand 605 crore by self-financing, the 6.15 kilometre Padma Multipurpose Bridge was built by China Major Bridge Corporation, a Chinese contracting company.
