The longest bridge in the history of Bangladesh is the Padma Bridge. As Well as One of the dream projects of the people of Bangladesh is the Padma Bridge. It is one of the longest dream bridges for the people of southern part of the country. It has made the journey from Dhaka to the south much easier and has made the time much shorter. Work on the Padma Bridge project has already been completed and tolls have been fixed. The work of this Padma bridge started from 2016 and in 2022, the work of Padma bridge was completed.
Padma Bridge is a multi-purpose road and railway bridge built over the Padma River. Through this, Shariatpur and Madaripur districts have been connected with the Munshiganj. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself paid the toll through the Mawa side and for the first time Padma bridge was officially used and through it, the bridge was opened. The main infrastructure is constructed in the Padma-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin with 42 pillars and 41 spans of 150 m in length. The length of the bridge is 8.150 km and the width is 16.10 m.
Design
The entire design of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge was formed by a team of international and national consultants led by ECOM. An international panel of experts was formed. Professor Jamilur Reza Chowdhury was appointed chairman. The panel provides necessary advice to project officers, design consultants and development partners.
Action plan
The physical work of Padma Bridge is basically divided into five stages. Monsel-Ecom, a design consulting firm engaged in the project, was responsible for preparing the pre-qualification documents for the recruitment of physical working contractors and assisting the tender committee in all related works. Tender evaluation committee was formed for various sides of physical work. The director of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project was the chairman of the technical evaluation committee.
Construction costs
The total cost for the construction of the Padma Bridge was Tk 30,193.39 crore. These costs include construction of bridge infrastructure, river governance, connecting roads, land acquisition, rehabilitation and environment, salaries and allowances, etc.
Economic Importance
Padma Bridge has connected our Capital City Dhaka to South-west region. That’s why Business and economic activites in that area will be increased. Societal, Industrial and economic condition will be developed and It will have massive contribution to GPD. Economy Size will be bigger than before. 29% of Our Total population wll get benefit from this project. Businessmen and businesswomen will sell their product to buyers of Dhaka and get benefitted. New Job Sector will be created. Unemployment rate will decrease.
Contracting agency
In 2014, a formal agreement was signed between the Government of Bangladesh and China Major Bridge Company for the construction of the Padma Bridge. As the lowest bidder, the Chinese company got the responsibility of constructing the Padma bridge. In addition to the Chinese company, 40 other companies have expressed interest in it. Five companies were selected on the advice of the World Bank, JICA of Japan and ADB. But in the end, the Chinese company was able to take over. However, Korea Express Corporation and China Major Bridge Company will work together for maintenance and toll collection.
Inauguration
The bridge was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina on June 25, 2022 and was opened to the public from the next day. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh unveiled the commemorative stamp on that day. The display of Bangladesh Air Force warplane aircraft was organized. Governments and Ambassadors of many countries of the world including United States, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, China, Russia, Denmark congratulated Bangladesh. There was a lot of chaos after the bridge was opened to the public after the inauguration. Many disobey the speed limit. Later, the army intensified its patrols.
Toll and income
On 28 April 2022, the Ministry of Bridges proposed a toll rate for the Padma Bridge and sent it to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for approval. The Ministry of Bridges then issued a notification fixing different toll rates for different transports. The construction cost of the Padma bridge is Tk 30,193.39 crore. In 2022, 21,300 vehicles will pass through this bridge in 23 districts of Bangladesh every day.
By 2025, the number of vehicles will increase to 41,600. If we are able to collect the toll in this way, it is possible to raise the cost of the bridge in nine years. In the next 31 years, the revenue from the Padma Bridge will be 16.5 billion, which is 5.5 times the construction cost. It will also add another 25 billion to the social development sector. Now that the bridge has been built, the scope of electricity, gas and internet connection will be further expanded to the south and southwest. This is where 2500 crore taka will be saved.
If the ferry does not operate, it will save 3600 crore rupees. According to the agreement for the construction of the Padma Bridge, Tk 36,000 crore will have to be paid in the next 35 years. Therefore, most of the money collected from the toll will be spent on repaying the loan and the rest of the money will be used for the maintenance of the bridge.
Previous History
On 16 September 1997, the government proposed a project worth Tk 3,843.50 crore to build a bridge over the Padma River on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga-Khulna highway to establish direct communication between the capital and south-west of the country. The 5 km long and 18.10 m wide bridge was considered the longest possible bridge in the country. The proposal states that the construction of the bridge started in July 1999 and will be completed in June 2004. On July 4, 2001, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the bridge at the Mawa-Jajira end.
Before the 2008 general election, the Awami League promised in its election manifesto to build the Padma Bridge. After winning the election, the Awami League government took the initiative to implement the project. Then it was informed that the construction work of Padma bridge will start by 2011. For this, a consulting firm was appointed in 2009 to prepare the design and the land acquisition work. The World Bank, Asian Development Bank, JICA, and Islamic Development Bank have pledged to finance the construction of the bridge. On 28 April 2009, Bangladesh signed a loan agreement with the World Bank.
In April 2010, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BASEC) invited pre-qualification tenders for the construction of the main infrastructure of the Padma Bridge. According to the first plan, construction of the bridge was scheduled to begin in early 2011 and major works were to be completed by 2013.
In April 2011, Bangladesh signed a loan agreement with the World Bank. On May 17 of the same year, the government signed a loan agreement with JICA, and on June 7, it signed a loan agreement with ADB. On October 10, 2011, the World Bank suspended funding for the Padma project.
Conclusion
The standard of living of the people of the South will change. Many people will rise out of poverty. Infrastructural changes will come. Domestic and foreign investment will increase. Modern digital services will reach people’s homes. Thus the Padma Bridge will take the country to a new milestone of prosperity; This is what everyone is expecting.