Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has officially inaugurated the construction of the rail-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat in Chittagong.
Yunus unveiled the foundation plaque at 11am on Wednesday, at the Chittagong Circuit House.
Earlier, when the chief adviser arrived at the Chittagong Circuit House, he received a guard of honour.
He was later scheduled to attend the fifth convocation ceremony of Chittagong University (CU).
The official inauguration of the new bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat marks the fulfilment of a long-standing demand from hundreds of thousands of people in southern Chittagong.
Notably, the name of the chief adviser has not been included on the foundation plaque.
According to railway sources, there is currently an existing bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat.
The bridge, constructed in 1931 by Brunnick & Company, was built after World War I to establish direct rail connectivity with Myanmar.
The 638-metre bridge, declared unsafe in 2001, was renovated twice by the railway in 2004 and 2012.
After the construction of the railway line up to Cox's Bazar, the bridge was again renovated in 2023 at a cost of Tk55 crore.
Despite these renovations, the bridge remains dilapidated, and as a result, heavy vehicles are now being transported by ferry.
Additionally, the bridge is one-way, requiring vehicles coming from one side to wait for vehicles coming from the other side, causing inconvenience for both passengers and drivers.
As a result, the government decided to initiate the construction of a new bridge.
Officials from the bridge project and Bangladesh Railway say that after the interim government took office, the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project for the construction of the rail-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River at Kalurghat.
The estimated cost of the project is Tk11,560 crore, and it will be implemented by Bangladesh Railway.
Construction of the new bridge is expected to begin in early 2026, with the bridge scheduled to be operational by 2030.
In February, Engineer Abul Kalam Chowdhury was appointed as the project director for the implementation of the project.
Earlier, he served as the additional project director for the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar railway line project.
