36th span installed on Padma Bridge, over 5.4 km now visible

The 36th span of the Padma Bridge has been installed this morning five days after setting up the previous one, making a 5400-meter or 5.4-km stretch of the main structure visible.

“After installation of 36th span around 9.42am, we are hopeful that the rest five spans are likely to be set up by December 10 and through this, the construction of 6.15-kilometre long bridge will be completed,” said Dewan M Abdul Kader, executive engineer of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge.

On November 11, he said the 37th span will be installed on the bridge, 38^th on November 16 and the 39th on November 23.

On December 2, the 40th span and the remaining one will be installed on December 10, added the official.

Meanwhile, the 36th span bearing number ‘1B’ was put on the pillars no 2 and 3 at Mawa point as the span was near the Mawa point.

A specialised floating crane picked up the span from Mawa’s Kumarbhog Construction Yard on Thursday morning and transported it to the designated poles at 12.30pm, according to the official.

Earlier, on October 31, the 35th span of the Padma Bridge was installed, bringing a total of over 5.2 kilometers of the huge structure into view.

The 6.15-km long double-layered bridge will have a total of 41 spans which would be installed on 42 poles — 21 poles at Mawa site and other 21 poles at Jajira point as all the poles have already become visible.

Construction of the Padma Bridge began in December 2014. With the installation of 37th and 38th spans in September 2016, the structure became visible for the first time.

The construction of the main bridge is being carried out by China Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBEC), a Chinese contractor, while Sino Hydro Corporation, another Chinese company, is working on river management.

Meanwhile, Abdul Monem Ltd has built two connecting roads and the infrastructure for the bridge. The structure of the bridge is being constructed with concrete and steel.

The multi-purpose Padma Bridge is expected to be opened in 2021.

Source: BSS

AH