Bangabandhu Bridge’s construction cost recovered by toll collection

The government has recouped the full cost of the five-kilometre long Bangabandhu Bridge built over the Jamuna River through tolls paid by vehicles to use it.

Parliament Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 4 Feb 2019, 05:34 PM
Updated : 4 Feb 2019, 05:34 PM

It was revealed by Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader in parliament on Monday.

The bridge authorities have so far collected tolls worth about Tk 50 billion, which is around Tk 12.5 billion more than the money spent on constructing the Bangabandhu Bridge.  The construction cost was around Tk 37.5 billion.

Bangabandhu Bridge. File Photo

The bridge connecting the northern and central parts of Bangladesh through road and railway was opened in 1998.

For crossing the bridge, each big bus has to pay tolls worth Tk 900, small bus Tk 650, big truck Tk 1,400, medium truck Tk 1,100 and small trucks Tk 850.

The loan taken from the development partners to build the bridge will be repaid by 2034, the minister said.

“After meeting the expenses for maintenance and other related works, the fund will be used for the repayment. The loan repayment has been delayed due to the exchange rate hike, which has more than doubled,” he added.