ZCZC
BSS-14
PM-VISIT-PADMA BRIDGE-2 LAST MUNSHIGANJ
With the completion of the bridge, she said, 19 southern districts will be
directly connected with Dhaka on road and rail routes and their living
standard will be improved with expanding trade and commerce.
National economy will witness 1.2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84
percent poverty will be reduced in every year after completion of the bridge
to be built at an estimated cost of Taka 30,193.39 crore, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said the implementation work of the bridge is going on
satisfactorily and its overall progress is 60 percent and physical progress
of the main bridge is 70 percent.
With the setting up the fifth span, she said, 750 meter of the main
structure of the 6.15-kilometre bridge has become visible.
Describing the managing of volatile Padma as the toughest challenge, the
prime minister said 45 percent of the permanent protection work of the river
training has been completed.
The premier hoped that Chinese efficient and experienced contractor China
Railway Group Ltd will complete ‘Padma Bridge Rail Link Construction Project’
within stipulated time by maintaining the quality.
She said the Engineering Corps of Bangladesh Army, the symbol of confidence
of the country, and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology
(BUET) are performing responsibilities as its consultants.
“I hope that train will run along with other vehicles from the day the
bridge will be opened,” she said.
The prime minister also said the expressway construction project was
approved by the ECNEC on May 3 in 2016.
The four-lane 55-km expressway of Dhaka (Jatrabari)-Mawa and Pachchar-
Bhanga has been being built as per modern traffic design and Tk 6,852.29
crore were spent for implementing the scheme.
The expressway will have 5.5 meter width separate lane on both sides for
slow moving vehicles and a five-meter width median in the middle of the
highway. Arrangement will be there for construction of metro rail and
elevated expressway by using this median, she said.
Under the highway project, 54 culverts, 20 underpasses, four big bridges,
25 small bridges, five flyovers, two interchanges and four railway overpasses
are being constructed.
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