Govt plans two major bridges over Meghna under PPP

The government has moved to build two
major bridges over the Meghna River system under a public-private partnership
(PPP) model, aiming to improve interdistrict connectivity.
The planned projects include a 10.86km bridge linking
Barishal and Bhola districts and an 8km bridge over the Meghna connecting
Chandpur and Shariatpur.
A proposal from the Bridges Division to implement the two
projects under the PPP framework will be placed today for in-principle approval
before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs at a meeting to be chaired by
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, according to sources.
The proposed Barishal-Bhola bridge will be more than twice
the length of the Jamuna Bridge. The project is estimated to cost Tk17,466
crore, which is considerably lower than the cost of constructing the Padma
Bridge.
Meanwhile, the proposed bridge over the
Meghna river on the Shariatpur-Chandpur route will be nearly double the length
of the Jamuna Bridge and is estimated to cost Tk15,957 crore.
Both bridges were included in the election manifesto of the
BNP. Earlier, the Awami League government had also carried out feasibility
studies for bridges linking Bhola with Barishal and connecting Shariatpur with
Chandpur over the Meghna River. The party's 2024 election manifesto had also
pledged to construct the two bridges.
Officials at the finance ministry said the Bridges Division
has submitted a proposal seeking in-principle approval from the Cabinet
Committee on Economic Affairs to implement the projects under the PPP model.
If approved, the division will move forward with detailed
planning and begin searching for domestic and international partners to
implement the projects.
Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, told
The Business Standard that the projects have been planned under the PPP model
to reduce financial pressure on the government.
"Across the world, such projects are now being
implemented through PPP," he said, adding that the two projects are of
national importance and there is strong public demand for their implementation
"If the government decides to proceed, agreements will
be signed with partners. However, no specific discussions have yet been held
with any local or foreign investors regarding these two bridges," he noted.
Improved
connectivity across regions
Currently, vehicles cross the Meghna between Chandpur and
Shariatpur by ferry. Once the bridge is built, road communication between
Khulna and Barishal with Chattogram and Sylhet is expected to become easier and
shorter.
According to the Bridges Division, the Chandpur-Shariatpur
bridge would allow vehicles travelling between Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and
Sylhet to avoid entering Dhaka.
The bridge is also expected to reduce the distance between
Khulna and Chattogram by about 90 kilometres for traffic coming from the
Benapole Land Port, Bhomra Land Port, Mongla Port and Payra Port.
The division plans to complete construction of the
Chandpur-Shariatpur bridge by 2033. By that time, the route is expected to
carry around 10,000 vehicles per day.
Officials at the division said a feasibility study for the
Barishal-Bhola bridge – to be built over the Tetulia and Kalabadar rivers – was
conducted in 2020.
During the previous Awami League administration, the
proposal was placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for
in-principle approval as a PPP project. However, the then prime minister
instructed officials to conduct a detailed review of the earlier feasibility
study.
Following that directive, the study was reassessed, and a
revised report was prepared.
The Bridges Division has indicated that the Barishal-Bhola
bridge could be completed by 2032. By then, an estimated 5,200 vehicles are
expected to use the bridge daily.
















