The installation of concrete slabs on the road of Padma Bridge will be completed in September 2021. Then this dream bridge can be crossed on foot if you want! Railway work has also progressed a lot. Construction work to build a rail link from the ground to the bridge could be completed by next December. Then the bridge can be crossed by walking along the railway. Considering the progress of the overall work of the Padma Bridge till 1st June, the bridge department hopes that if all the works go well, the bridge can be opened for vehicle in June 2022. There is also a target to start the train on the same day.
However, there is some uncertainty about the launch of the train. The Ministry of Railways says a pillar of the flyover (viaduct) outside the bridge is being demolished due to design complications. Due to this, the work of making rail-line connection with the bridge has been delayed. The work of laying the railway line outside the part of the bridge has not started.
On December 10, the main bridge was
erected by attaching the last or 41st steel span of the Padma Bridge. This
created a direct connection between Zazira of Shariatpur and Mawa of
Munshiganj. Vehicles will pass over the two-storey Padma Bridge and trains will
pass through. Rail and road are now being constructed with concrete slab pairs
for bridge crossings. As of June 1, the work of laying vehicle and railway
slabs has been completed by 89 per cent and 95 per cent respectively. According
to the progress report of the project, the work of the main bridge has
progressed 93.50 percent till June 1. The overall progress of the project is 86%.
Project Director Shafiqul Islam said, if there is no major problem or rains and floods, the work of laying road and railway slabs will be completed in the upcoming September. Then anyone can cross the bridge on foot if you want. There were some problems with the Corona situation and river erosion last year. Now it is over, he hoped that the Padma Bridge would be inaugurated next June. However, being able to cross the bridge on foot does not mean it will be open for human movement.
According to the progress report of the project, 2,917 concrete slabs are to be laid on the main bridge to make way for vehicles. 2,604 have been installed till June 1. A two-millimeter layer of water insulation, known as a waterproof membrane, will then be placed over the slab. It's a lot like a plastic cover. Then a few layers of pitch will be poured with stone, cement and bitumen. Its thickness is about 100 millimeters.
In addition, walls and road dividers should be provided on both sides of the road, which is known as parapet wall. If 12,390 concrete slabs are added, the walls will be completed. More than 10,500 parapet wall slabs have been installed. The remaining slabs of the parapet wall have also been made. The Padma Bridge will have street lights like other bridges. However, additional architectural lighting will be installed on the entire bridge. With it, the bridge can be illuminated in different colors on Special Day or any big occasion. Large installations, including the Burj Al Khalifa Tower in Dubai, have such lighting.
The main bridge over the river is made
of steel structure (span) over the pillars. Its length is 6.15 kilometers.
Outside, the main bridge is being connected to the ground by a sloping runway
at both ends. The length of this flyover known as viaduct which is 3.68 km. In
all, the total length of the bridge stands at 9.83 km. The viaduct is made with
a pair of concrete slabs. At the Jajira end putting slabs together has done.
There are only six slabs left in Mawa end. It will be completed by the middle
of June.
Railway work progress:
Under the Padma Bridge project, the bridge department is constructing a railway on the main bridge and 532 meter flyover at both ends of the bridge. According to the bridge department, 2,959 concrete slabs are to be laid on the bridge to build the railway. Of these, 2,815 have been installed. Apart from this, the Ministry of Railways is responsible for constructing additional flyovers up to the ground, laying railway lines and operating trains. Railway is implementing a project worth around Tk 40,000 crore in this regard. Under this, construction work of 172 km broad gauge railway from Dhaka to Jessore is underway. The duration of the project is till 2024.
The work of the whole rail project has been divided into three phases. These are: construction of railway from Dhaka to Mawa, from Mawa to Bhanga and from Bhanga to Jessore. On the day of the inauguration of the bridge, the railway has decided to start train service from Mawa to Bhanga in Faridpur via Padma Bridge. The distance of this part is 42 km, the work has 77 percent done.
Now the work of laying the railway line and the station has to be completed. As per information, it will take six months to lay the 6.15 km long railway line over the bridge. The director of the Padma Rail Link project also sent a letter regarding this issue to the director of the bridge project in January. If the bridge is launched in June, the scheduled route will have to be completed at the beginning of January. More work remains to be done, including laying a gas pipeline next to the railway. Two separate companies for rail and bridge and two contractors cannot work together.
There are challenges in Padma River:
Last year's floods caused some
complications after the Mawa construction site was submerged in the riverbed.
Project officials say the preparations that have been made this time have
reduced the risk of erosion inside the project area. However, the nature of the
Padma River is complex. According to the bridge department, in the last flood,
after digging in an area of about one kilometer at the edge of Mawa,
additional silt of about 20 meters has accumulated. There will have to be
re-excavation. Besides, the work of river governance is still lagging behind
the main bridge. The total progress of the work is 83.50 percent.
Expenditure on Padma Bridge:
The Padma Bridge project is being implemented by the Bridges Division under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. When the Padma Bridge project was approved by ECNEC in 2007, its cost was Tk 10,161 crore. Later the cost increased by three phases. So far, the total cost of the Padma Bridge estimated at Tk 30,193 crore. The deadline for completion of the project is set to be completed next June. In the next one year, if there is any defect in the bridge, the contractor will repair it and if there is any debt of the contractor, it will also be settled by the department.
Expert says, there is no big technical
challenge on the Padma Bridge now and there is not financial problem. The
construction of the bridge has taken more time. As a result, the sooner the
bridge can be opened, the more people will get the benefits. This Padma Bridge
Project is not just a necessity; it is a project to transform the economy of
the whole country. It has become a huge investment, including the construction
of expressways around it. So to take advantage of it, the bridge needs to be
started quickly.
Thanks,
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