Skip to main content

Bangladesh: Cost of Padma Bridge project rises

The cost of building the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh will be nearly three times the US$2.61 billion estimated in 2011. Also on the rise is the cost of flood prevention work in the form of levee construction – called river training in Bangladesh. The addition of 1.3km of work at the Mawa end of the bridge means the total cost is now $1.2 billion, up from $1.1 billion. Apart from $200 from the $1 billion loan from India the project is not using any foreign financing, according to a report in the Daily S
January 11, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The cost of building the Padma Bridge in Bangladesh will be nearly three times the US$2.61 billion estimated in 2011.

Also on the rise is the cost of flood prevention work in the form of levee construction – called river training in Bangladesh. The addition of 1.3km of work at the Mawa end of the bridge means the total cost is now $1.2 billion, up from $1.1 billion.

Apart from $200 from the $1 billion loan from India the project is not using any foreign financing, according to a report in the Daily Star newspaper. Completion has now been pegged at 2018, an extension from the initial projection of 2015 following cost revisions earlier this month.

China Major Bridge Engineering Corporation is carrying out main work on the 6.15km road-rail bridge. It will be 18.1m wide and will have 15.1km of approach roads as well as toll plazas and service areas. When completed it will be the largest bridge in Bangladesh and the first fixed river crossing for road traffic. It will connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpur and Madaripur, linking the south-west of the country to northern and eastern regions. The two-level steel truss bridge will carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on a lower level.

Meanwhile, in India, construction will soon start of a four-lane 150m bridge across Feni River to connect Ramgarh in the Indian state of Tripura with Bangladesh’s seaport of Chittagong. The Tripura state government will foot the $16.6 million bill for the bridge that was first announced in 2012.

Tripura, in the isolated northeast of the country, is India’s third-smallest state, covering around 10,500km2.

Related Content

  • India's US$100 billion highway investment
    May 29, 2012
    India intends to continue its massive investment in highway spending. Predictions for the next five years say that up to US$100 billion will be spent on road building in the country in the coming five years. The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways plans to build 35,000km of highways, with 60% being provided by the Government budget and 40% from the private sector. The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways will open up tendering for nine highway projects. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI
  • Bangladesh-India bridge being built
    January 10, 2018
    A new bridge is being built between Bangladesh and India. The bridge will span the Feni River and will provide an improved transport link between Ramgarh in Bangladesh and Chittagong in India. Piling work is already being carried out for the bridge supports and the project should be complete by the second quarter of 2020. Funding is being provided by the Indian Government.
  • Japan's record boost for Bangladesh economy
    February 13, 2012
    The overseas aid arm of the Japanese government has given the green light to three record loans, totaling US$670 million in support of Bangladesh's growing economy.
  • Bangladesh bridge bidding opens soon
    February 8, 2012
    The Bangladesh Government is to open the bidding process for the 6.15km Padma Multi-purpose Bridge project shortly. The bridge project is expected to cost US$2.4 billion in all.