| Padma Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Carries | Motor vehicles, Railway |
| Crosses | Padma River |
| Locale | Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur Bangladesh |
| Maintained by | Bangladesh Bridge Aurhority |
| Designer | AECOM |
| Design | Truss bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 6,150 m (20,180 ft) |
| Width | 21.10 m (69.2 ft) |
| Construction begin | expected in 2011 |
| Construction end | expected in 2013 (-2015) |
The Padma Bridge is a multipurpose road-rail bridge across the Padma River to be constructed in Bangladesh. When completed it will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh and the first fixed river crossing for road traffic. It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country, to northern and eastern regions. The Project covers three districts – namely, Munshiganj (Mawa Point/North bank), Shariatpur and Madaripur ((Janjira/South bank). The total area of land to be acquired and required for various components is 918 hectare. The requisition of land for the construction yard will be for six years on a rental basis. As per the new design, an additional 144.04 ha has been identified for acquisition, bringing the total to 1062.14 hectare. This additional land is required because project site lost significant land due to erosion, for transition structures and also due change in railway alignment.
The two-level steel truss bridge will carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on a lower level. The project will include 6.15 km long and 21.10 m wide bridge[1], 15.1 km of approach roads, toll plazas and service areas.[2]
Project cost is estimated to be US$3.00 billion. Funding for the project is provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) (US$615 m[2]), the World Bank ($1.5 billion[3]), Japan International Cooperation Agency ($415 m), Islamic Development Bank[4] ($140 m). The government also signed another $ 14.84 million agreement with the IDB for the implementation of the water-supply and sanitation project in cyclone-prone coastal areas, and Abu Dhabi Development Group ($30 m).[5] Of the total amount, the government will provide Tk 50 million while the rest will come in the form of project aid.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010.[1] Construction of the bridge is expected to commence by early 2011[5] and be ready for major completetion in 2013[1] (and complete all sections by late 2015[4]). The proposed Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project will provide direct connectivity between the central and southwestern part of the country through a fixed link on the Padma River at Mawa-Janjira points. The bridge will contribute significantly towards facilitating the social, economic and industrial development of this relatively underdeveloped region with a total population of over 30 million. The area of influence of the direct benefit of the project is about 44,000 sq km or 29% of the total area of Bangladesh. Therefore, the project is viewed as a very important infrastructure towards improving the transportation network and regional economic development of the country. The bridge has provisions for rail, gas, electric line and fibre optic cable for future expansion. The project will be co-financed by the Government of Bangladesh (GOB), the World Bank (WB), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB). Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) is the executing agency (EA) of the project.