Home
+
Published : 11 Jun 2026, 02:29 PM
Bangladesh and China have signed an agreement to construct the “9th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge” in Patuakhali.
The implementation agreement was signed on Thursday at the Roads Transport and Highways Division conference room, according the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges.
The ministry said the initiative has been taken to upgrade transport links in the southern region and make regional economic activities more dynamic.
Md Moksed Ali, joint secretary (Foreign Aid Wing) of the Roads and Highways Division, signed the agreement on behalf of Bangladesh, while Counsellor Song Yang of the Chinese Embassy signed for China.
Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Mohammad Ziaul Haque and Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen were present at the event.
The bridge will be built over the Lohalia River, downstream from the Boga Ferry Terminal at the 14-km point of the Lebukhali–Bauphal–Galachipa–Amragachia District Highway (Z-8806) in Patuakhali.
The ministry said hundreds of thousands of people and businesses in the Bauphal, Galachipa and Dashmina Upazilas have long relied on the Boga ferry crossing to transport agricultural produce, fishery products and essential goods.
The bridge will make travel “easier, faster and safer” for residents of the area.
The project will have a total length of about 2.62km, including a 1.348-km main bridge and 1.272km of approach roads.
China will provide grant funding for construction of the bridge and approach roads, while the Bangladesh government will bear the cost of land acquisition, utility relocation and other related expenses.
Under the next phase, a company nominated by the Chinese government will prepare and finalise the detailed design of the bridge.
Work is also under way to prepare the Development Project Proposal (DPP).
The ministry said construction will begin once the required procedures are completed.
The bridge is expected to transform transportation in the southern region, reducing travel time and costs while facilitating cargo movement and opening new opportunities in agriculture, fisheries, trade and tourism.
