The cost of the Padma Bridge River Training Works (RTW) is likely to increase further as additional areas have been brought under the RTW beyond the original plan due to excessive erosion of the river banks.

The additional work would take more time. The budget for the work has already risen by Tk 700 crore from the initial cost of Tk 8,708 crore, said project officials.

Besides, another Tk 432 crore has been given to Bangladesh Army to carry out RTW along a 1,300-metre stretch of the river bank at Mawa point of the Padma. It was not a part of the initial project plan.

Seeking anonymity, a project official said the RTW would not be completed in time. He, however, noted that the delay in RTW would not affect the construction of the main bridge.  

The government signed a Tk 8,708-crore river training deal with Sinohydro Corporation Ltd. The deal is now worth around Tk 9,400 crore as per the revised DPP (development project proposal).

The Chinese company has been carrying out river training works along a 12.4 km stretch of the river bank at Janjira point and 1.6 km area at Mawa point.

Experts, project officials and road transport and bridges ministry officials believe river training work is now the main challenge for the project as the flow of the mighty Padma is unpredictable.

Project Director Shafiqul Islam said the revised DPP was given the go-ahead keeping in mind that the river might change its course.     

“The cost has been hiked as per the revised DPP prepared in November last year,” Bridges Division Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told The Daily Star.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said his ministry asked the authorities concerned not to increase the project cost further.

About river training work by the army, he said the job was first given to the water resources ministry for protecting the bank at the Mawa point of the Padma. “The water resources ministry later awarded the job to the army.”

According to the minister, one-third of the Padma bridge project has been completed until April 20. Twenty-four percent of the main bridge construction work has been finished while 19 percent of river training works, 68 percent of the approach road at Janjira point and 81 percent of the approach road at Mawa point have been completed so far.

Visiting the project site last month, The Daily Star found that construction work of the much-awaited Padma bridge had been going on in full swing. Several thousand workers were busy filling bags with sand and dumping those in the river as part of river training work.

Built over the last few months, thousands of concrete blocks were piled up on the banks. Piers were made at the construction workshop at Mawa.

Quader said the construction work would gather more pace this month as “new technology” will be used to speed up the work.

Many components of the bridge have been built in Beijing, China. When those would reach the project site, people will see a huge progress in work, he added.

The minister hoped the bridge would be open to public in December 2018 as per schedule.

“We have warned the authorities concerned that their work orders would be cancelled if they failed to complete the job in time. We will not compromise on the issue,” he added.

The total cost of the Padma bridge project now stands at Tk 28,793 crore, up from Tk 20,507 crore in 2011.