Only two more spans remain after the installation of the 39th span of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge on Friday, just six days after setting up the previous one.
With the installation of the span marked as "2-D" on pillars 10 and 11 at Mawa point, 5,850 metres of the bridge’s main structure is now visible.
Padma Bridge’s Executive Engineer Dewan Md Abdul Quader said a floating crane Tian-E brought the span from the Mawa Construction Yard at around 9:40am.
The 40th span is expected to be installed within December 16, he added.
The 6.15km long double-layer 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 all of which have already been constructed. Trains will run through the lower deck while the road will be on the upper level of the bridge.
The construction work of the long-cherished Padma Bridge started in December, 2014 and the first span was installed on September 30, 2017.
When the construction of the bridge is completed, the capital will be directly connected with 21 southern districts through road and railways.
The main bridge is being constructed by China Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBEC), a Chinese contractor, while Sino Hydro Corporation, another Chinese company, is working on river management.
The multi-purpose Padma Bridge is expected to be opened in 2021.
