The 28th Span of the Padma Bridge visible

The 28th span of the 6.15-kilometre long Padma Bridge has been installed at the at Mawa point in Munshiganj district amid the nationwide shutdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, making 4.2 km of the main structure of the bridge visible. The 4-B span was installed on pillars number 20 and 21 of the bridge at around 10:00am on Saturday Dewan Abdul Quader, executive engineer of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, said.

Earlier, the 150-meter long span was brought near the pillars by a floating crane from Mawa’s Kumarbhog construction yard on Friday, he said. As the span 4-B is installed, two more spans “5-A” and “5-B” are expected to be installed soon on the pillar no. 25, 26 and 27, he said. Earlier, the 27th span of the Padma Bridge was installed on March 28, making 4.05 km out of the total 6.15 km bridge visible. Besides, the 29th span is expected to be installed within this month.

Thirty nine out of the total 41 spans have been brought to Mawa from China while 27 of them have already been installed. The remaining two spans are expected to leave China for Dhaka on April 20. According to 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 to complete 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.