Padma Bridge

Padma Bridge is a multipurpose road and rail bridge under construction on the Padma River in Bangladesh, which will connect the south-western region of Bangladesh with the northeast region. The north side of the bridge is located at Munshiganj, Mawa Point and the south side is at Shariatpur and Madaripur, Jajira Point. The total length of the bridge will be 6150m or 20,180 feet and width of 18.10 m or 59.4 feet. This will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh when it is completed.

Padma Bridge Project

For the first time on August 28, 2007 the former caretaker government of Bangladesh passed the project to construct the Padma Bridge whose construction work was supposed to start in 2011 and finish in 2013. But after the change of the government of the country, the new government came in and connected the railway to the bridge and for the first time on January 11, 2011, fixed the bridge cost. The supervisory government estimated Tk 10,161 crore but the Awami League government came up and added the railway there, it was increased to Tk 20,507 crore and later the cost of Padma Bridge was increased by Tk 8,000 crore and finally its total expenditure is Tk 28,793 crore. And finally, the work on the Padma Bridge began on December 7, 2014, and it is expected to end in 2021. The bridge is expected to be fitted in 2021 and the bridge will be inaugurated in 2021 as per the government's plan.

Design and Contracting companies

Although AECOM's design is to begin the construction of the "Padma Multipurpose Bridge" multipurpose socio-economic development project on the Padma River, a team comprised of international and national consultants led by AECOM created the complete design of the Padma Bridge.

China Railway Group Limited has a contract with China "Major Breeze" under the contract to build the bridge. Work began on December 7, 2014. The total expenditure on this is Tk. 30,793 crore. 

Financing

Initially, the World Bank showed interest in funding for the project, but the World Bank withdrew its commitment, following allegations of corruption by some involved in project preparation and other donors. However, the allegation of corruption was later proved false and the court dismissed the corruption case without any evidence. However, currently, the entire "Padma Multipurpose Bridge" project is being implemented with the government's own financing.

Padma Bridge Necessity

The Padma Bridge will create a direct connection to the center of the country or the southwestern part of the country. And now the southwestern part of the country is somewhat underdeveloped. And if the Padma Bridge is implemented, it will contribute significantly to the social, economic and industrial development of this underdeveloped region of the country. As a result of the project, more than 6 crore people will benefit directly from the total area of about 44,000 sq. km (17000 sq. mile) or 29% of the total area of Bangladesh. The country will become more dynamic. Communication in the southwestern region of the country will be a revolution. The project is also considered as a very important infrastructure for the country's transportation network and regional economic development. The bridge also includes future rail, gas, electric lines and fiber optic cable expansion. It is estimated that the country's GDP will increase by up to 1.2 percent.

Source: Internet