US congratulates Bangladesh on Padma Bridge

The US has formally congratulated Bangladesh on the ‘momentous’ opening of the Padma Bridge.

“Building sustainable transportation infrastructure to connect people and goods efficiently is important to fostering inclusive economic growth,” the US embassy in Dhaka said in a statement on Friday.

“The Padma Bridge will create new and important linkages within Bangladesh, boosting commerce and improving the quality of life.”

The bridge is yet another example of Bangladesh’s leadership in promoting connectivity in the South Asian region, the statement said.

The 6.15-kilometre-long bridge over the Padma River is to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday.

The bridge, which connects the south of the country to the capital, will open to traffic on Sunday.

The massive Tk 301.93 billion infrastructure project was to be partially financed by the World Bank, but the financial institution later withdrew its funding over allegations of corruption that were never proven.

The Bangladesh government has claimed that members of the US government, including then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, influenced the World Bank’s decision to pull its funding.