Bangladesh’s first 6-lane bridge over Madhumati River set to be inaugurated Monday morning
The dream bridge connects Narail, Khulna, Magura, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Jessore, and Jhenidah districts
In a fillip to residents of the country's north-western districts, the long-awaited Kalna Bridge, the first six-lane bridge in Bangladesh is set to be inaugurated on Monday morning, bridging the Madhumati River in Narail.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 690-metre bridge, also known as Madhumati Bridge, via video conference.
The bridge is totally ready to become fully operational as soon as it is inaugurated, said Ashrafuzzaman, project manager of Madhumati Bridge and Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Department in Narail.
Residents of Gopalganj, Narail, Jashore, Benapole, Satkhira and north-western districts in the country have been eagerly waiting to cross the bridge since the inauguration date was announced.
Ashrafuzzaman said the country’s first six-lane bridge is a Nielsen-Lohse Arch type bridge.
“The length of the bridge is 690 meters and the width is 27.1 meters. The six-lane connecting road on both sides is about 4 and half kilometers,” he added.
The total cost of construction of the bridge is about Tk 960 crore which has been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Cross Border Road Network Improvement Project of the Department of Roads and Highways.
The dream bridge connects Narail, Khulna, Magura, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Jessore, and Jhenidah districts.
Following the inauguration, people of at least 10 districts of Bangladesh’s southwest regions will be able to travel for less time to different areas. It will also reduce travel time from Benapole port to Dhaka, as the distance will only be 130km.
Meanwhile, the distance from Kalnaghat to Dhaka is only 108km.
Besides, of the six lanes of the bridge, four will be dedicated to high-speed vehicles and two as service roads.
On September 7, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said that Kalna Bridge would be inaugurated after getting a nod from the Prime Minister.
Previously, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had promised to build this bridge during an election campaign in 2008. The premier laid the foundation stone of the bridge later on January 24, 2015.