8th span installed, 1200 meters of Padma bridge visible now

The eighth span (superstructure) of the 6.15-km Padma bridge was installed at Jajira point of Shariatpur district this noon making 1,200 meters of the mega structure now visible. 

The grey colour span numbered 6-E was placed between pier-35 and pier-36 around 12:00pm, reports our Munshiganj correspondent.

With the installation of this 150-meter long span, 1050 meters of the bridge is now visible at Jajira point, said the concerned engineers.

The installation work of the eighth span began this morning and was completed without any complication with the aid of local and foreign engineers. 

So far seven spans at Jajira point and one span at Munshiganj point of the bridge have been placed. The spans are 150-meter long each.

Another span, 6-D, is set to be placed between pier-34 and pier-35 on March 10, our correspondent adds.

A concerned engineer of the project said, the designs of all the spans of the bridge are now complete. Pressure has been put on the contractors for completing the construction soon, he said.

“It can be said surely that vehicles will be able to cross the bridge from December next year.” The engineer said.

WHEN WERE THE OTHER SPANS INSTALLED?

When the construction of the Padma Bridge is completed, the capital will be directly connected with 21 southern districts through road and railways.

The first span of the bridge was laid on pillars 37 and 38 on September 30, 2017. The second span was placed on January 28, 2018. The third span was laid on March 11, the fourth was placed on May 13 and the fifth span was installed on June 29, the same year. The sixth span was installed on January 23, 2019.

HOW IS THE WORK GOING ON?

Two major components of the project are main bridge and river training. Of them, 59 percent work of the main bridge and 36.5 percent work of river training have been completed.

The project is running behind schedule as the World Bank withdrew its $1.2 billion loan in 2012 over allegations of corruption conspiracies. The government then moved to build the bridge with its own funds.