The much-awaited Padma Multipurpose Bridge will be inaugurated at the end of 2022 and not in June due to a shortage of equipment following the war in Ukraine.
Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam made the announcement while talking to journalists at the secretariat on Wednesday.
He said some of the equipment required for the construction of the bridge are procured from Europe, and the war in Ukraine had disrupted the delivery.
Earlier on Sunday, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said 97% of the work on the main bridge had been completed.
During the ongoing parliament session on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Padma Bridge would open to traffic by the end of this year.
She said that 100% of work on the approach roads and service areas at both ends of the project had been completed, and 96.50% of physical work on the main bridge was also done.
Elaborating on the premier’s statement in parliament, the cabinet secretary said that the authorities were facing some problems in getting supplies of some equipment. A shipment was supposed to arrive in March in Bangladesh, but now there is some uncertainty over the arrival of the batch.
"I think it’s a safety measure. We have time till December 2022. Among the equipment we need, some are made in one or two countries of the world. Previously the construction was delayed by the pandemic, and now it’s the war,” he added.
Once completed, the bridge will be the longest bridge in the country, connecting the capital with 21 southern districts through road and railways.
