In a filip to residents of the country's north-western districts, the long-awaited Kalna Bridge, the first six-lane bridge in Bangladesh will be inaugurated Monday, bridging the Madhumati River in Narail.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the 690-metre bridge, also known as Madhumati Bridge, via video conference.
The bridge is totally ready to become fully operational as soon as it is inaugurated, said Ashrafuzzaman, Project Manager of Madhumati Bridge and Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Department in Narail.
Residents of Gopalganj, Narail, Jashore, Benapole, Satkhira and north-western districts in the country have been eagerly waiting to cross the bridge since the inauguration date was announced.
Ashrafuzzaman said the country’s first six-lane bridge is a Nielsen-Lohse Arch type bridge.
“The length of the bridge is 690 meters and the width is 27.1 meters. The six-lane connecting road on both sides is about 4 and half kilometers,” he added.
The total cost of construction of the bridge is about Tk 960 crore which has been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Cross Border Road Network Improvement Project of the Department of Roads and Highways.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of Kalna Bridge in January 2015.
Toll rates fixed
The Madhumati Bridge authority has already fixed the toll rates to be paid to cross the bridge by different vehicles.
Large trailers will need to pay Tk 565, trucks with three or four axles Tk 450, medium-sized trucks with two axles Tk 225 and small trucks Tk 170.
Meanwhile, large buses will have to pay Tk 205, minibuses or coasters Tk 115, microbuses, pick up vans, converted jeeps and wreckers Tk 80, and private cars Tk 55.
Autorickshaw, three-wheelers, battery and CNG-driven autorickshaws will pay Tk 25, motorcycles Tk 10, and finally paddled vans, rickshaws, or bicycles will pay Tk 5 as toll to cross the bridge.
After the inauguration, the toll will be collected manually first. Later toll will be collected digitally through the operator.
Connecting the gaps
The distance from Kalnaghat to Dhaka is only 108-km. With the Kalna Bridge opening, the commute between Dhaka and the surrounding areas including Narail, Benapole, Jessore, and Khulna will be reduced by 100-km, to 200-km in some places.
The bridge is part of the Asian Highway Network. In terms of road communication, it will play a direct role in connecting roads through Sylhet's Tamabil to Dhaka, Bhanga, Narail, Jessore, Benapole, and Kolkata. The Madhumati River was lying between the Kalna Point and those routes, and not it has been bridged.
The bridge will impact both national and international connectivity and act as a milestone linking India’s Assam and West Bengal to Bangladesh’s Bhomra Land Port in Satkhira, Benapole and Noapara maritime port.
With the launch of EPZ (Export Processing Zone) at Lohagara in Narail, expansion of business and massive employment will be created.
For the people of Narail, Jessore, Benapole, Noapara Shilpanagar, Bhomra land port of Satkhira and some surrounding districts, the Kalna Bridge is expected to be a greater boon than even the Padma Bridge.
Vehicles had to wait long periods to cross the Madhumati River by ferry from the Kalnaghat point.
Tomorrow brings a new dawn for the people of the said regions.