By Xinhua,
Dhaka : Construction of the proposed Padma Bridge, to be the longest one in Bangladesh, will start in 2011 and be completed in three years to connect the southwest region with capital Dhaka, The Daily Star reported on Wednesday.
Bangladesh’s Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain was quoted by the leading English newspaper as saying that the process to appoint a consultant to finalize the design of the bridge will be completed by this month.
And then the tender will be floated, the minister told reporters here on Tuesday.
He said, after the bridge is constructed, the gross domestic product of the southwest region will increase by 2 percent.
An estimated 101.61 billion taka (about 1.45 billion U.S. dollars) will be spent on the Padma Bridge over the Padma river (Ganges), one of the three biggest rivers in the country.
As per the initial proposal, the bridge with 5.58 km length and 25 meters width, will have a rail line that will eventually become part of a proposed trans-Asian rail link.
The decision to construct the bridge was taken back in 2001 but dilly-dally over selecting the construction sites delayed the process.