The Padma Bridge saw heavy traffic movement on June 26 last year, as thousands of commuters rushed to use the first land route across the major river on the day of its opening to the public.
Tolls were collected from 1,900 vehicles each hour on the first day. More than Tk82 lakh had been collected from about 15,200 vehicles after the first eight hours, according to Bangladesh Bridge Authority Superintending Engineer and Deputy Director Md Abul Hossain.
Many people had waited since June 26 last year for the opening of the bridge at 6am, leading to heavy traffic on the Mawa road in the morning. Despite the long queues at the toll booths, commuters were elated to finally be able to cross the river without boarding cramped ferries.
Bangladesh Bridge Authority Supervising Engineer (Bridge) Tofazzel Hossain said: “There is particularly high traffic since it is the first day, so vehicles are having to wait for a short time. The people are very excited so there have been some breaches of discipline, but we are trying our best to maintain order.”
Long-awaited relief
Several of the commuters screamed with joy upon paying the toll and getting on the bridge. Abul Kalam, the first truck driver to cross the Mawa Toll Plaza, gave a wide grin and displayed the V sign.
“There were days when I had to wait for two to two-and-a-half days with a freight truck to cross the river. You can see from my relief how happy I am that I can finally drive straight across,” he said.
Although commuters had to wait to pay the toll, the journey across the bridge itself was short. Five toll booths were open on the first day, with a separate booth for motorcycle riders.
Rubayat Ruba was the first female motorcyclist to cross the Padma Bridge.
“It was a lot of fun. I can't express the feeling in words. Although there was some traffic, it was no worse than on other highways. The trip didn't take long, as there was a separate row of bikes,” she said.
Aside from those who went to use the bridge, many people traveled to Mawa just to see the completed engineering marvel. Banners of various organizations were seen hoisted on buses that had carried the visitors.
Samina Ara, one of the visitors who works for a private company, said: “I have been afraid to use ferries with my children ever since we were caught in a storm in the middle of the river. As a result, I had reduced visits to my mother. I will be able to visit more frequently now.”
One of the buses, marked Muktijoddha Sangha, carried 25 veteran freedom fighters to visit the Padma Bridge. Freedom fighter Altaf Hussain said: “We wanted to see such an achievement of the country with our own eyes.”
Many crossed the bridge on foot, while others parked their cars or motorcycles to take selfies, risking accidents and breaking rules imposed by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
The government body earlier said people were not allowed to park their vehicles on the bridge to celebrate, take selfies or take walks. But many people were dismissive of the directives, and did not heed warnings from law enforcement officials.
BBA Deputy Director Abul Hossain said 80% of the vehicles that had used the bridge since the morning were motorcycles, with larger vehicles making up the next highest contingent.
Syed Rajab Ali, executive engineer (Roads) of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project, told Dhaka Tribune the smart card system would soon be introduced at the toll booths and it would help speed up the toll process.
Ferries sit idle
Amid the heavy traffic on the Padma Bridge, the usually-busy Shimulia Ferry Ghat in Munshiganj and Banglabazar ghat in Madaripur wore deserted looked on June 26, 2022 morning. Many launches and speed boats were seen waiting for passengers, delaying departures.
Owners and workers of ferries and other water vessels expressed concern over their livelihoods in light of the situation. Some hoped ferry traffic would pick up once again in a few weeks.
A total of five launches left for Shimulia from dawn till 9:30am. Each launch had 100 passengers.
According to Banglabazar ghat sources of the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), there was pressure on passengers and vehicles before the inauguration of the Padma Bridge on Saturday.
Private cars, microbuses and light vehicles have also started declining in the ghat area since this morning.
Launch and speedboat movement will be kept normal as per government instructions, said BIWTA.
Alamgir Hossain, the driver of the MV Rodela launch at Banglabazar Ghat, said the launches were leaving the ghat as per the government's instructions since morning but the number of passengers has decreased a lot.
Jahangir Hossain, manager of Bepari Launch, said: “Passengers at the ghats have been reduced due to the impact of the Padma Bridge. The launches are running as per the instructions of the owners' association.”
Journey comes down to 10 minutes
With the opening of the bridge, the hours-long journey across the river has come down to less than 10 minutes.
Crossing the river on ferries and launches usually takes three to four hours, including the time vehicles have to queue before boarding.
Moreover, depending on the weather, and pressure of vehicles, ferry services can take even longer.
However, people now can travel from Zajira to Mawa in only seven to eight minutes.
There are no direct land routes between Dhaka and the southern districts of the country. Hence, the Padma Bridge has brought an end to the untold sufferings of the people, who spent hours on different water vessels to cross the river.
Weighing scale not ready yet
On the first day, the bridge authorities allowed all vehicles, including heavy trucks, to cross the bridge without measuring weight, said drivers. Installation of the weight machine has not begun yet, though the toll for trucks is supposed to be determined by their capacity.
Kamal Hossain, manager of the toll plaza at the Zajira end, said they were determining the weight of the vehicles by scrutinizing documents until the machines were installed.
“We have all the required machinery and hope to complete the installation work soon,” he said.
