Padma Bridge: Bridging Bangladesh

A Comprehensive Look at the Iconic Padma Bridge Project

The Padma Bridge is a multipurpose rail-road bridge across the Padma River and one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Bangladesh. The bridge connected the southern and central regions of the country and will improve transportation, trade, and communications. This article, the Padma Bridge: Bridging Bangladesh will provide information about the Padma Bridge cost, revenue and various statistics.

Inauguration of the Padma Bridge:

The construction of the bridge commenced on 26 November 2014 and the rime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the bridge on 25 June 2022. Let’s discover the Padma Bridge cost, revenue, statistics and other information:

Location:

The Padma Bridge will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur district.

Bridge Statistics:

The bridge basic information as summarized below:

Main bridge length: 6.15 km

Span: 41 nos.

Viaduct: 3.148 km

Approach road: 12.117 km

River training works: 14 km

Deck: Upper Deck consists 4 lane road and Lower Deck consists Single Track Dual Gauge Rail.

Cost & Expected Revenue:

Estimate project cost BDT 30,1933.7 Million (USD 3.868 Billion). The primary revenue will be collected from tolls. Estimated revenue from toll predicted to be Tk. 13.23 billion in 2022, Tk. 18.04 billion in 2029 and Tk. 33.79 billion in 2050. The bridge will accommodate 23,954 vehicles daily in 2022, 34,725 in 2029, and 66,829 in 2050. But actual traffic suppressed the estimated vehicles which had risen to 25,108 on 23 June.

Expected benefit:

• The bridge connected the Southern district with Dhaka city.
• The bridge will reduce the transport costs and travel time which will increase the scope to investments in transportation.
• The Gross Domestic Product is will increase by 1.23%. In addition, it will also increase 2% to the regional economy of 21 southwestern districts.
• Two way communications will establish both road and rail which eliminates the alternative option for transportation.
• Existing Mongla Port and newly established Payra Port will directly connect to the Chattogram Port directly.
• The Padma Rail Link Project is expected to part of trans-Asian rail network which may increase GDP growth by 1%.
• The new job market will be explored due to establishment of economic zones and industrializations in all of the southwestern districts.

Scenic view:

You can check the extraordinary view the Padma Bridge in the following video:

Actual project costs might vary from estimated project and estimated revenue also may vary from actual collection. You may have some insights from the Padma Bridge: Bridging Bangladesh. Padma Bridge is not just a bridge; it’s a symbol of progress, connectivity, and national pride.

The Padma Bridge Photo collected from unplash by  Rezuanur Rahman Mubin.