Hasina opens Bangladesh’s first six-lane bridge in Narail

The prime minister also inaugurated the third Shitalakkhya Bridge in Narayanganj

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has inaugurated Bangladesh’s first six-lane bridge over the Madhumati River in Narail.

Hasina also opened the third Shitalakkhya Bridge in Narayanganj via video conferencing from her official residence, Ganabhaban, on Monday.

The Madhumati Bridge is the country's first six-lane bridge built on the border of Gopalganj and Narail, Hasina said.

She had pledged to build the bridge at Kalna Ghat in 2008 to facilitate road connectivity with the southwestern region, including Narail.

Hasina later laid the foundation stone for the bridge on Jan 24, 2015. The structure was originally called Kalna Bridge, but it was later renamed Madhumati Bridge by the prime minister.

MADHUMATI BRIDGE

Shyamal Bhattacharyya, additional chief engineer at the Roads and Highways Department, said the plan was to open the bridge to the public on Tuesday.

Once the bridge opens, the travel time from Dhaka to Narail, Benapole, Jashore, Khulna, Satkhira and other nearby areas will be reduced by up to four hours. The bridge, part of the Asian Highway Project, will eventually play a role in connecting the road network from Sylhet’s Tamabil to Dhaka, Benapole and even Kolkata, according to officials.

Ashrafuzzaman, project manager of Madhumati Bridge, said that the bridge was built at a cost of Tk 9.6 billion. The bridge is 690 metres long and 27.1 metres wide. There are 6-lanes connecting roads on both sides of the bridge.

AKM NASIM OSMAN BRIDGE

On the other hand, the third Shitalakhhya Bridge has been opened to establish a direct road link between Narayanganj Sadar and Bandar Upazila. The bridge has been formally named 'Bir Muktijodhhda AKM Nasim Osman 3rd Shitalakkhya Bridge'.

Shahana Ferdous, executive engineer at the Roads and Highways Department, said that the distance from South Bengal to Chattogram and Sylhet will be reduced by at least 20 kilometres with the opening of the bridge. Travellers taking these two routes will no longer have to pass through Dhaka, which will save them at least two hours.

"Passengers from the south can go to Chattogram or Sylhet by travelling along the Padma Bridge-Munshiganj-Shitalakhhya Bridge-Madanpur routes," Shahana said.

Monjurul Hafiz, Narayanganj's deputy commissioner, said, "This bridge connects the Padma Bridge with Narayanganj and Munshiganj.”

"People from Khulna, Jashore, Magura, Jhenaidah, and Kushtia areas can now directly go to Chattogram without entering Dhaka city via the Padma Bridge.”

Pointing out that there will be a huge reduction in business and other expenditures, he said, “More than 8 million people live in this small district and most of the working people live in this part. Now, they will be able to go to the other end of the bridge in a minute. They don't have to wait for boats or spend money on them anymore."

Monjurul said that a plan is in place to allow the public to walk on the bridge after the inauguration. “The bridge will open to the public after 12 am on Tuesday.”