The Panel of Experts (PoE) for the Padma bridge construction meet at the project site from today (Thursday) as the Chinese contractors could not solve the problem with finalising the design of the main bridge and the river training work (RTW).
Sources said despite several months of trail tests and pilings, the Chinese contractors could not confirm the load test of the country's longest bridge. The test is needed before starting work on the project's main two components.
Because of the problem, the progress in project work has been five per cent behind the target.
Though the latest report shows 34 per cent progress achieved in the work until June last, the work on the main bridge construction and RTW is much lower than the target.
Sources said 10 PoE members out of 11 would stay at the project site for next three days, within three months of their last meeting there on April 7-9.
This time the experts will see for themselves the problems and advise the contractors to find a way out.
The project office, however, said it would be a routine meeting of the PoE members, as they are expected to sit together in every three months until completion of the Padma multipurpose bridge project. This is the 3rd such meeting, said an official.
Construction of the Padma main bridge and the RTW could not be started in full swing, though Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the work in December last. It was blamed on the failure in confirming the bridge and RTW designs that consultants approved earlier.
The contractors since then have conducted several trail tests and pilings. Still they could not confirm the load due to finding an unusual sand condition different from that assessed earlier.
Depth in the Padma river and the soil type at one place have been found different from those at another point making it a difficult job for the contractors to manage the load of the bridge.
Official sources said the contractors continued soil tests and were trying to find a solution on analysis of those.
As the Padma bridge said to have the deepest ever foundation in the world, the project office source said the PoE would sit in every three months to solve day-to-day challenges.
However, Project Director M Shafiqul Islam categorically ruled out the possibility of any delay in the construction work. He said such a problem is not unexpected in construction of a rare bridge like that over the Padma.
He said the PoE would meet there to discuss such problems.
"We are still on track to complete the Padma Bridge by 2018. We are proceeding with that target and contingency plans," he told the FE.
Sources said construction work on the Padma bridge still faces a challenge of managing river erosion as the construction yard downstream remains under threat in the current monsoon.
Due to river erosion, the ferry terminal has to be shifted from Charjajira to Kalhabari.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the implementing agency of the Tk 280 billion project, signed contracts with China Major Bridge Construction Company and Sino-Hydro Company Ltd on June 18 and November 11, 2014 for constructing the 6.15km bridge and carrying out the RTW respectively
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