Staff Reporter :
The much-awaited 6.15-km Padma Bridge has become fully visible with the installation of the last span on Thursday.
The span named 2S installed on pillars 12 and 13 of the bridge at Mawa point around 12:02 pm , said Executive Engineer (Bridge) Dewan Md Abdul Quader.
The workers started their work around 9 am to bring the span to the bridge point.
The construction of the bridge started in November, 2014 and the mega structure is expected to be open to public in 2022.
Once in operation, the Padma Bridge, Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure project till date, will connect 21 southern districts with the capital and boost the GDP by 1 percent.
China Major Bridge Engineering Corporation (MBEC), was appointed for the main bridge. The steel material bridge’s length is 6.15 km, viaduct 3.148 km (road), 532 m (rail), approach road: 12.117 km, span: 41 (with each span being 150 meters long).
However, the project was first approved by Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) with an estimated cost of Tk10,161 crore in 2007.
Following irreconcilable differences with the World Bank arising out of the issue of financing, in 2012 the government decided to go it alone.
The second revision of the project was approved by Ecnec on January 5, 2016 with an estimated cost of Tk 28,794 to be implemented by 2018. Without changing the project proposal, the costs were increased again to Tk 30,193 crore In June 2018.
