With the installation of the last span on Thursday the main work of the Padma Bridge is complete.
The firm determination of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the bridge a reality despite various conspiracies.
The Padma Bridge will open for traffic in June in 2022. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the bridge.
The last span of the Padma Bridge was installed on Thursday making the entire structure of the 6.15 km multi-purpose bridge visible.
With this the long-cherished dream of millions of people of the country has come true.
With the installation of the last span of the Padma Bridge the country has witnessed a historic success.
And this great job is done defying all odds at last with own funds under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after overcoming conspiracies hatched by the World Bank, other aid agencies at home and abroad.
“The 6.15km-long bridge has become fully visible,” Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in his instant reaction said.
“The last span (41st span) of the bridge was installed on 12 and 13 pillars around 11:00am and with the installation of the this span, a total of 6.15 km (6,150 meters) main structure of the Padma Bridge has become visible,” an official of the project told this correspondent on the spot.
The national economy is expected to witness 1.5-2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 percent poverty will be reduced every year after the completion of the bridge.
The Padma Multipurpose Bridge will change the entire economic landscape of southwestern Bangladesh it will connect many countries of South and Southeast Asia and contribute largely to communication, trade, industry, tourism and many other sectors in various ways.
The Padma Bridge, a double-dick multipurpose road-rail bridge will connect Louhajong and Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country to northern and eastern regions.
Padma Bridge is the most challenging construction project in the history of Bangladesh as the ruling Awami League is implementing it despite various conspiracies hatched against the construction of this mega bridge.
On October 14, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the name plaque of the Padma Bridge Toll Plaza at the Mawa end.
And the project work began in 2007 at an estimated cost of Tk 10,162 crore but the cost went up several times and finally stood at Tk 30,193 crore.
The Padma Bridge project was scheduled to end on December 30, 2019. Later, the deadline was extended till June 2021. Besides, the cost of the project will be increased. Earlier, total project cost was Tk 30,193.76 crore.
Finally, the 6.15 kilometer (km) long bridge connected Shariatpur, Jajira with Mawa, Munshiganj.
Dewan Abdul Quader, executive engineer of the bridge, confirmed that the 41st span '2F' has been successfully installed on the 12th and 13th pillars of the bridge.
State minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury while witnessing the last span installation said, "We cannot express our joy in words. Today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina we are able to show our success to the world."
"The World Bank was reluctant to provide funds for the construction of the Padma Bridge. But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced in 2013 that Bangladesh would build the Padma Bridge with its own funds. Ignoring the criticism from various quarters, in the end, the largest infrastructure in the history of the country was built with the money of the people of the country," he added.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister and General Secretary of the Awami League Obaidul Quader said, "The Padma Bridge is visible today after overcoming myriads of obstacles under the able and prudent leadership of Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina."
Obaidul Quader further said, "Bangladesh has shown the world that we can do everything possible because of the courageous leadership."
This span was installed 6 days after the 40th span had been installed. In the last two months, local and foreign engineers have set a record by placing eight spans on the bridge. The work of installing two spans this month was also completed by installing the last span in the month of victory.
Earlier, around 5pm on Wednesday, a floating crane named 'Tian-E' left the Mawa Construction Yard in Munshiganj carrying a 150-meter-long span. The crane carrying the span reached the pillars 12 and 13 after an hour. Law enforcement agencies were in charge for the safety of the crane and the security of the vessels moving in the adjacent areas.
The people of the 21 districts in the south-west of the country are finally going to get rid of extreme suffering in commuting due to the Padma Bridge.
The aim of the Awami League government was to complete the construction work of the Padma Bridge by 2018. But due to the diversity of soil on the bed of the river, the work was delayed. It took four and half years till date to complete the pillars only and another 3.3 years to complete the installation of spans over the pillars.
Padma Bridge has 42 pillars and 41 spans. Each span is 150-meters-long. The bridge over the river is 6.15 km long. Connecting the two banks, the bridge is 9 km long. Road viaduct 3.8 km. Rail viaduct is 0.532 km. In other words, the total length of the bridge including the connection and viaduct is 10.482 kilometers. The river training was 14 kilometers. The connecting road is about 15 km on both the sides.
According to the Padma Bridge authorities, the first ever 6.15km long double-deck bridge with a total of 41 spans is now visible. The Padma Bridge is the largest construction infrastructure since the independence of Bangladesh, which was initiated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The construction work began in December, 2014 with own fund.
The construction of the main bridge is being carried out by China Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBEC), a Chinese contractor Company, and the river management is being done by Sino Hydro Corporation of China.
The Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project will change the economic landscape of southwestern Bangladesh if its opening is matched with improvement of energy security and other infrastructures, politicians and industrialists opine.
Padma Bridge is expected to change not only the socio-economic structure of southern parts of Bangladesh, it will also create positive impacts on the whole economy of the country. It will also connect many countries of South and Southeast Asia and will contribute to communications, trade, industry, tourism and many other sectors.
Meanwhile, Abdul Monem Ltd has built two connecting roads and the infrastructure for the bridge. The structure of the bridge is being constructed with concrete and steel.
