Left unused, bridge becomes parking spot

A two-lane bridge, constructed over Rajakhali canal in Kotwali area of Chattogram city as a connector on the Mariner's Road is being used for parking buses.

The bridge could not be opened to traffic due to the lack of approach roads, even two years after its construction.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) constructed the 70-metre-long bridge at a cost of Tk 8.67 crore under the "City Governance Project-2" of Japan International Cooperation Agency, and handed it over to the Chattogram City Corporation in January 2022.

However, CCC failed to open the bridge since no approach road has been constructed yet due to negligence of its officials, alleged locals.

As such, the bridge has been unusable for the last two years, leaving commuters suffering as they are being compelled to use an existing dilapidated bridge as an alternative route.

The CCC earlier constructed the four-lane, 1.3km-long Mariner's Road at a cost of Tk 12 crore to connect south Chattogram with Bandarban and Cox's Bazar. The road was opened to traffic in 2014.

Visiting the area recently, this correspondent saw numerous buses parked on the bridge using a makeshift stretch of earthen road connected to it, while two floating shops were also set up there.

"As the bridge cannot be used, we are compelled to cross this spot using the old bridge as an alternative route even amidst risk," said Al Amin, a three-wheeler driver who transports passengers on the road regularly.

Several commuters echoed the same.

Drivers of the parked buses said they kept their vehicles there as the bridge is closed to traffic at present.

"We set up our shops on the bridge by managing local influential people who benefit from us," said a shop owner wishing anonymity.

Acknowledging the situation, Farhadul Alam, a CCC superintendent engineer, said, "We have already sought funds for constructing an approach road to access the bridge."