Padma Bridge

The Padma Multipurpose Bridge (Bengali: পদ্মা বহুমুখী সেতু, romanized: Pôdma Bôhumukhī Setu), commonly known as the Padma Bridge (Bengali: পদ্মা সেতু, romanized: Pôdma Setu), is a two-level road-rail bridge across the Padma River, the main distributary of the Ganges in Bangladesh. It connects Louhajang Upazila of Munshiganj and Zazira Upazila of Shariatpur and a small part of Shibchar Upazila of Madaripur, linking the less developed southwest of the country to the northern and eastern regions. The bridge was inaugurated at morning on 25 June 2022 by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The bridge is considered to be the most challenging construction project in the history of Bangladesh, the steel truss bridge carries a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on the lower level. The bridge consists of 41 sections, each 150.12 m (492.5 ft) long and 22 metres (72 ft) wide, with a total length of 6.15 km (3.82 mi). It is the longest bridge in Bangladesh, the longest bridge over the river Ganges (Gaṅgā) by both span and total length, and features the deepest pile depth of any bridge in the world at 127 m (417 ft). The construction of the bridge was considered to be especially challenging due to width and depth of the Padma River.

The bridge is expected to boost the GDP of Bangladesh by as much as 1.23 percent. Some 13 districts of a total 21 which will be connected to the other regions of the country by the bridge have a higher average poverty. Following the opening of the bridge, economic activity in the southwestern regions are expected to get especially boosted with several big companies already starting their productions, so 17 economic zones are planned at different places in the southwestern regions. Since its inauguration, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge has generated approximately Tk800 crore through toll collection in one year. Data analysis from the bridge department reveals that on average, more than 15,000 vehicles have crossed the bridge daily. To ensure convenient travel to other destinations by crossing the Padma Bridge, the government has initiated numerous projects, including the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Elevated Expressway, aimed at enhancing road connectivity.