First span of Padma bridge reaches site

The 150 metre span arrived at the site by waterway yesterday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader told media. “The span will be set over pillars of the Padma bridge, possibly in December, after completing laboratory tests,” he told reporters at the secretariat yesterday. “The 6.15km long Padma bridge will get a complete shape with 41 spans within December 2018. “From now on, every month we will receive one or two spans. Each weighs some 2,900 tonnes and is made of steel plates of 20-80 millimetre thickness in a Chinese factory,” the minister added. Quader said overall implementation progress of the Padma bridge project was 37% and the piling of 26 pillars had been completed. “The construction work of viaduct has begun,” he added.Deal with China for Padma rail projectBangladesh Railway has signed a formal deal with the China Railway Group (CREC) to construct the much-hyped Padma Bridge rail link project at a cost of Tk27,652 crore. Railway Director General Amzad Hossain and CREC Deputy Manager Zhang Xuecai signed the deal yesterday at Rail Bhaban in Dhaka. Railway Minister Majibul Haque, who was present at the signing, said: “We have requested the construction firm to complete the project within scheduled time. “We want that a part of the project, Munshiganj’s Mawa area to Faridpur’s Bhanga area, should be finished by December 2018 so that we can run a train over the Padma bridge, which will be opened by that time,” Majibul said. The project, which will connect the southern part of the country with the capital city Dhaka, aims to ensure smooth rail journey. According to the project summary, the total length of the new railway track is 172km.