After much anticipation, the first batch of steel girders to be used in the construction of Padma Bridge Rail Link Project (PBRLP) has arrived at Chattogram port.
Considering the stipulated timeline for the completion of the project, this is a “major progress” as the production of steel beam has been affected by Covid-19 pandemic followed by massive flooding.
The China Railway Group Limited (CREC) on Monday said the contractor of the project, the production and delivery of the steel beams was a big challenge.
Due to the high water level of Yangtze River and plum-rain season in China, transportation from Jiujiang City of Jiangxi Province to Shanghai Port via the waterway became very difficult and risky.
However, considering the urgency and deadline, CREC took additional measures at Shanghai Port to ensure smooth shipping of the beams.
The consignment arrived at Chattogram port during Eid Al-Adha holidays and consequently faced some delay in port clearance.
However, CREC said they took effective measures and ensured smooth delivery of the materials to the construction site.
The steel girders weigh about 50,000 tons, including 8 steel truss girder bridges, and 53 steel plate girder bridges, which are all manufactured by China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Co. Ltd., and shipped from Shanghai port to Bangladesh for assembling and on-site erection.
The transported steel beams will be used for the on-site erection of bridge No. 87, 45, 49, 56, 107, 112, and 120. These bridges are part of the priority section of the project, which will be opened first.
The steel beams of different spans must go through trial assembling in the factory before mass-production.
While being produced, the beams were marked with different colors so that they can be easily distinguished for using in different bridges that are to be built along the long line of the project.
Moreover, there are various kinds of beams that require different engineering techniques and technology. Therefore the production process is highly sophisticated, the CREC said.
Being constructed by CREC, the 168.6 kilometers project stretches from Dhaka to Jashore. Of the total project length, 16.7 kilometers is elevated railway.
The project includes 181 kilometers of ballasted tracks and 32 kilometers of ballastless tracks, 63 large, medium, and small bridges forming a total length of 30.5 kilometers, and 230 culverts of different sizes.
The project is a key portion of the backbone of the railway network of Bangladesh.
The completion of the project will greatly improve the traffic conditions in Bangladesh and foster economic development of the country.
“Unfortunately, as per CREC, the completion of the project is going to be delayed to no small extent due to the blockage of N8 road, the flooding and the pandemic of Covid-19, though the contractor has taken various kinds of measures to fend off the negative impact from those factors,” said a statement.
