The government has initiated a big move to construct some 340 bridges on the upazila, union and village roads under 61 districts in all the eight divisions across the country to ensure better communication system involving an estimated cost of Taka 1,983.07 crore. “The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) is likely to consider a project to this end titled ‘Construction of up to 100-meter length bridges on upazila, union and village roads’ in its meeting today,” said a senior Planning Commission official. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the ECNEC meeting to be held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area. The official told BSS that the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government Division will implement the project by June, 2023 with an estimated cost of Taka 1,983.07 crore to be entirely borne from the GoB portion. The main objective of the project is to improve the communication system across the country through building 340 bridges on upazila, union and village roads. Besides, the project also aims to improve the living standards and lifestyle of the lagging behind communities through setting up uninterrupted communication system with the growth centers, haat-bazaars, health centers, educational institutions, mills, factories and farm and non-farm production centers side by side creating short and long-term employments. Another official at the Local Government Division said the main project operations include construction of some 51 bridges (3,816 meters) on upazila roads, some 69 bridges (4,467 meters) on union roads, some 220 bridges (11,803 meters) on village roads and some 100 kilometer bridge approach and access road development. The proposed project will also be helpful for materializing the objectives of building upazila, union and village roads included under the Seventh Five Year Plan. Besides, once the project is implemented, it will be supportive for transporting goods across the country with ease, comfort and less cost while the whole socio-economic conditions of the country’s people will improve as well as the poverty rate will be further reduced. Before finalizing the project, countrywide full-fledged survey was carried out which highlighted roads ID, chain age, length and number of spans, width of the bridges, navigation clearance, position of the bridge approach, necessity of land acquisition, linkage between the socially important structures. The Pre-Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the project was held on November 14 last year where the Planning Commission recommended for implementing the project.
