The 35th span of Padma bridge will not be put into place today, Friday, due to navigability crisis. The authorities cannot say when it can be put into place. Engineering involved in the construction said that the water level is very low in the spot where the span is to be placed and so the vessel carrying the crane that will lift the span, cannot reach there.
The engineers said that dredging and silt removal is being carried out to increase the river’s navigability at the spot. Speaking to Prothom Alo, they said they hoped by Sunday it would be possible to put the span in place.
Once this 35th span is in place, 5,250 metres of the bridge will be visible. Then six spans will be remaining. Three of the spans were placed in October. It is expected that all the spans will be put in place by December.
The bridge’s executive engineer and project manager (main bridge) Dewan Abdul Quader, speaking to the media, said, “Just a few days ago the depth of the water near pillars 8 and 9 was over 130 ft. But now the water is only 7 ft deep. The spans cannot be put in place under these circumstances and so dredging is being carried out to remove the silt. Once the silt is removed, a decision will be taken. But so far no date has been fixed to put the span in place.”
Construction of the Padma bridge began in 2014. China Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBC) is working on the construction of the main bridge and another Chinese firm, Sino Hydro Corporation is carrying out the river training.
This 6.15km bridge is double-storeyed, made of concrete and steel.
