Padma Bridge’s 29th span installed; 4.35 km now visible

The 29th span of the 6.15-kilometre long Padma Bridge was installed on the 19th and 20th pillars at Mawa point in Munshiganj on Monday morning amid the nationwide shutdown to contain the spread of COVID-19. With the installation of the span, 4,350 metres of the main structure of the mega bridge has become visible. The span ‘4-A’ installed at around 10 am, Dewan Md Abdul Quader, an engineer of Padma Multipurpose Bridge, said. With this, twenty nine spans out of 41 have already been installed.

Earlier, the 28th span of the Padma Bridge was installed on April 11, making 4.20 km out of the total 6.15 km visible. According to concerned engineers of the Padma Bridge, the remaining 12 spans are expected to be installed by August this year though the stipulated time is till November. As per the project details, the construction of the 6.15-kilometre long Padma Bridge is going on in full swing amid the nationwide shutdown with the target of completing it within the stipulated time.

On October 14, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the name plaque of Padma Bridge Toll Plaza at the Mawa end. According to experts, the national economy is expected to witness 1.2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 percent poverty will be reduced every year after completion of the bridge to be built with an estimated cost of Taka 30,193.39 crore. The first span of the Padma Bridge was installed on September 30, 2017.