A dream bridge: an epic on roaring Padma
The 41st span was span on piers 12 and 13 of the Padma Bridge. The much-coveted 6.15 km. Padma Bridge stood up. At the same time, another 'story of historical victory' was written on the heart of roaring Padma in the month of victory.
2 minutes passed 12 noon, Thursday, December 10; the day cannot be called historic. The story of this victory over Padma was written on July 10, 2012. When the World Bank withdrew from the Padma Bridge project due to allegations of corruption, Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina announced the construction of the Padma Bridge on her own. Then came the day of today's success by composing an epic with so many criticisms, rumors, obstacles, success in bringing the omnivorous Padma to the bag.
The installation of the first span on the Padma Bridge started on September 30, 2017. 41 spans in three years! There was an atmosphere of excitement on the banks of the Padma today surrounding the installation of the last 41st span. There will be uproar; some of these people on the shores have lost everything in the floodwaters of the Padma year after year. Today, they see that the 'One Victory Flag' has been set up after losing in the turbulent Padma.
However, the wave of people on the banks of the Padma began on December 12, 2015. Since the inauguration of the construction work on that day, there was a lot of interest among the people about the construction work of the bridge. Since then, people in the south-western region, including the banks of the Padma, have been dreaming about the bridge. So today is not only historic for them, but also important in many ways!
However, the credit for this success goes to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government. As a result of her firm commitment of the Prime Minister, Bangladesh is at the end of a huge task today, overcoming various criticisms and inaccessible paths. She has overcome the geographical division of the south-western part of the country by removing the accusation of corruption.
‘The Padma Bridge is the bridge of our pride. The government has done a great job. It is unthinkable that the bridge is becoming real. We have been selling fruits at Mawa Ghat for 15 years. If there is a bridge, I may not be able to stay here. But the Padma Bridge is the pride of that dash. How many people will benefit. I'm not going to eat one at a time. I can't express how happy I am to have a bridge. '
Anwar Hossain, a fruit seller at Mawa Ghat, expressed his views to the reporter while reporting on the construction of the Padma Bridge. Today, perhaps, many people like Anwar Hossain are proud to see the scene of crossing the two banks of the huge Padma from a distance. Well, is this dream victory just a matter of pride, or is this story of a long journey raising the head of Bangladesh once again in the heart of the world. It informed the whole world that the country of 17 crore people can not only dream, but can also fulfill it by raising its head.
Traffic on the Padma Bridge on the eve of golden jubilee of Independence Day:
In the rainy season, the Padma is rough with strong waves, in the summer the Norwester is reddening and in the winter, the river route is hampered by the fog; These are the constant companions of the people of the south-west to cross the Padma. The dream has become a bridge! The rest of the ancillary work, just one more year to wait. The government has announced that traffic on the Padma Bridge will be opened in December 2021, the golden jubilee of independence.
The Padma Bridge became visible on September 30, 2015 with the installation of the first span on pillars 37 and 38. Today, with the installation of the 41st span, the Mawa end of Munshiganj and the Jazira end of Shariatpur have been connected. Through this, the way of easy communication of Dhaka with 29 districts of south and south-west is being opened. And the people on the banks of the Padma and in the south-west will now be waiting for the 'geographical division' to end.
These spans were installed on 42 piers or pillars in the two-storey Padma bridge. Trains will run through the span and vehicles will run through. According to a survey by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), about 24,000 vehicles will pass through the Padma Bridge daily.
In the meantime, various development initiatives are underway in the south-west centered on the Padma Bridge. Initiatives to set up factories in and around the bridge area are already in sight. The impact of this bridge will be significant in the economy of the country. Economists believe that the country's GDP growth and people's living standards will also increase.
The actual work of the main bridge has progressed 91 percent, river training work 85.50 percent, connecting road and service area work has been completed 100 percent. The overall progress of the project is 82.50 percent. The work of laying separate slabs as part of the construction of rail and carriage roads is in full swing. Moreover, the work of connecting road has been completed long ago.
The connecting road on both banks of the Padma Bridge project is 14 km long. The area of river training is 12 km. Two thousand 917 road slabs will sit on the Padma bridge. One thousand 265 slabs have already been laid. 484 super guards will have to be installed on the bridge connecting Mawa and Jajira. Of these, 310 have been installed. Separate slabs are being laid for rail roads.
The length of the main bridge is 6.15 km. The total length of the bridge is 9.30 km with 3.15 km of approach roads on both sides. The four-lane bridge is 72 feet wide. At the Mawa and Jajira ends of the bridge, the connecting road is divided into two sides for vehicles to get on and off the bridge. It is basically part of the viaduct or shore bridge. The length of this part of the bridge is 3.15 km.
The Padma Bridge was designed by an American multinational engineering firm called ACOM. Construction is being carried out by China Major Bridge Engineering Company (CMBEC), a Chinese contractor. Sino Hydro Corporation of China is working on river training. The Korean Expressway is the bridge and river training consulting firm. Abdul Monem Limited, a Bangladeshi company, and HCM, a Malaysian company, are jointly constructing connecting roads on both banks of the Padma at Mawa and Jajira. The Special Workers Organization of the Bangladesh Army is the consultant for the link road and service area.
Tk. 20,506 crore was estimated by revising the budget of the Padma bridge. In 2018, the expenditure was increased to Tk. 30,193.39 crore. The total cost of the project till December 4 was Tk. 24,115.02 crore. Authorities said the cost could rise further.