Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate Bangladesh’s first ever six-lane Madhumati Bridge in Narail and the third Shitalakhya Bridge in Narayanganj at noon on Monday through videoconferencing from her office in Dhaka.
The 690-metre-long Madhumati Bridge, which is locally called Kalna bridge, has been built over the Madhumati River at a cost of Tk960 crore with the funding of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
It connects Narail, Gopalganj, Khulna, Magura, Satkhira, Chuadanga, Jessore and Jhenaidah districts.
Once opened, the people of the southwestern region will enjoy faster road communication as the bridge will reduce over 100 kilometres of distance from Kalnaghat to Dhaka, according to project officials.
People of at least 10 southwestern districts will be able to travel to different areas in less time. It will also reduce travel time from the country’s largest land port Benapole and Jessore to Dhaka, as the distance will only be 130km.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the Madhumati Bridge on January 24 in 2015 between Kashiani upazila of Gopalganj and Lohagara upazila of Narail.
The people of the region now use the Dhaka-Jessore-Benapole highway via Paturia-Daulatdia ferry terminal, meaning they travel 100 kilometres more to reach Dhaka from Jessore.
According to project officials, the bridge will be a part of the Asian Highway Network, which will connect the capital with the country’s southwestern region, including the country’s biggest land port, Benapole.
The 27.1-metre-wide bridge has six lanes, including four high-speed lanes and two service lanes, with 4.3 kilometres of approach road.
Md Shahidul Islam Milon, ex-president of Jessore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said the bridge will give a boost to the economy of the region and ease road communication massively.
The economic activities of Benapole port, Mongla sea port and Noapara river port will increase manifold, he said, adding that the residents of the region can return home after finishing their jobs in Dhaka within a day.
Some commuters said their longstanding sufferings via Kalna ferry ghat will come to an end through the opening of the bridge.
Third Shitalakhya bridge
The third Shitalakhya bridge, which has been named after valiant Freedom Fighter AKM Nasim Osman, will connect Narayanganj with Bandar upazila, boosting economy, and easing communication between Chittagong and southwestern districts via the Padma Bridge.
The 1.29-kilometre bridge will enable Chittagong region-bound vehicles from the southwestern region and vice-versa to bypass Narayanganj city to avoid traffic congestions and save time, the project director of the bridge, Shoaib Ahmed, said.
The country’s economy will get boosted significantly as it will reduce the travel time of vehicles bound to and from the southwestern part of the country, he said.
The people will get maximum benefit from the Padma Bridge once the new road network is built with the bridge, he added.
The bridge will connect Madanganaj of Bandar upazila to the east with Syedpur of Narayanganj Sadar upazila to the west. Now motor-run boats are the key communication mode for the people on either side of the river and other areas to cross it.
Garment worker Tania, a resident of Madanganj, said she has to come to Gudaraghat on foot every morning and cross the river by boat to reach her workplace.
Boats often collide with large ships, causing death of passengers as plying of commercial ships has increased a lot in recent times, she said.
“Now it has become frightening for us to cross the river by boat. Fears multiply during the monsoon. When the bridge is opened, our movement will be easier and fearless,” she said.
Bandar upazila resident and cultural personality Yusuf Atik Malik said the bridge will be more significant in the national perspective than local.
Now vehicles from southwestern region use the Jatrabari route in Dhaka via Postogola Bridge to go to Chittagong or use Chashara and Signboard route to reach their destinations, he said.
After the opening of the Shitalakhya bridge, vehicles will not have to face severe traffic congestion in Panchabati Bscic industrial area, Panchabati intersection, Chashara intersection, Signboard, Chittagong road in Narayanganj or Postogola and Shanir Akhra route in Dhaka, said Shoaib Ahmed.
The vehicles will be able to bypass the capital as well as Narayanganj city, he said, adding that the pressure on the capital and Narayanganj city will also be reduced.
Though the project had been approved in 2010 by Ecnec, construction work started on January 28, 2018.
The project director said the construction of the bridge cost an estimated Tk608.56 crore, with Tk263.36 crore from the Bangladesh government and Tk345.20 crore from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).
The bridge with walkways has 38 spans — five in the river and 33 on the east and west ends. The width of the bridge along with walkways is 22.15 metres.
The Shitalakhya River separates Bandar and Sonargoan upazilas from the district headquarters. These two upazilas are not directly connected to the district headquarters by road. The Kanchpur Bridge (first Shitalakhya bridge) has to be used to go the district headquarters from the two upazilas which requires nearly 30km of travelling by road to cross just 3-5km of distance through the river by boat.
Thousands of people living in Bandar upazila cross the Shitalakhya River by boat every day for work in Narayanganj and Munshiganj. Similarly, people from Narayanganj and Munshiganj also cross the Shitalakhya by boat to come to Bandar or Sonargoan upazilas. The third Shitalakhya bridge in Bandar upazila, Narayanganj, will establish direct road communication between Bandar upazila and the district headquarters.
