The country is expected to enter a new era of road communication with the inauguration of two more bridges likely next month, which will establish a direct link with all rivers.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is planning to open the 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge over the Kotcha River and Kalna Bridge over the Madhumati River on Bhanga-Benapole highway to traffic at any time in September.
The date of inauguration will be finalised after getting the Prime Minister's schedule, sources said, adding with these two bridges, the country will get an uninterrupted road link through river ways.
The sources said the friendship bridge will be handed over the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges by the China government this week as a high level delegation is set to arrive on this occasion on August 6.
An official of the Road Transport and Highways Division said a handover certificate will be signed in presence of the delegation led by the country's foreign minister.
Sources said on the same occasion, traffic on the 3rd Shitalakhya Bridge is also planned to open.
The sources added the 8th Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge located on Rajapur-Noikathi-Bekutia-Pirojpur Road is set to establish a direct road link through all rivers in the southern region. It will also establish connectivity between Payra Port and Mongla Port as well as Khulna region and the northern belt. The six-lane Kalna Bridge will play a significant role in communication under the Asian Highway 1.
The RHD has taken the move to construct a bridge at Bekutia to establish a direct road communication between Pirojpur Sadar and Kaukhali upazila after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced construction of the bridge on March 31, 2013. After getting assurance from the Chinese government to build the 1.49 kilometre bridge on its own fund, a contract on the 8th friendship bridge was signed in April, 2016.
The construction work began on November 1, 2018. The cost of the project was Tk8.94 billion of which Tk 6.54 billion was provided by the Chinese government as grant. China Railway 17th Bureau Group Ltd constructed the 1.49 km long and 13.4 metre wide bridge.
The RHD took the project to construct the 690 metre Kalna Bridge at a cost of Tk 9.59 billion with Nielsen Lohse Arch
Type span type in 2018 under the Cross Border Network Improvement project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
It is located four km off the Vatiapara roundabout. Though it was scheduled to be completed in July this year 95 per cent of work has been completed.
smunima@yahoo.com