Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday inaugurated the third Shitalakhya Bridge in Narayanganj, aiming to ease traffic movement between Chattogram and the southwestern districts via Padma Bridge. 

She opened the bridge for public through a video conference from her office. 

The Bridge is named after valiant freedom fighter AKM Nasim Osman. It will connect Narayanganj city with Bandar upazila, which would help boost local economy.  

The 1.29-kilometer bridge will enable Chattogram region-bound vehicles from southwestern region and vice-versa to bypass Narayanganj city to avoid traffic congestion and save times.

The bridge will connect Madanganaj of Bandar upazila to the east with Syedpur of Narayanganj Sadar upazila to the west. 

At present, engine boats are key communication mode for the people of both sides of the river and other areas to cross it. 

Now vehicles from the southwestern region use Jatrabari route in Dhaka via Postogola Bridge to go to Chattogram region or use Chashara and Signboard route to reach their destinations.

Read: PM opens Bangladesh’s first 6-lane bridge over Madhumati river

The vehicles will not have to face severe traffic congestion in Panchabati BSCIC industrial area, Panchabati intersection, Chashara intersection, Singboard, Chattogram road in Narayanganj or Postogola and Shanir Akhra route in Dhaka.

The vehicles will be able to bypass capital as well as Narayanganj city, which will result in less pressure on the capital and Narayanganj.

The project was approved in 2010 in ECNEC while construction work started on January 28 in 2018. 

The bridge construction was estimated at a cost of Tk 608.56 crore as Tk 263.36 crore came from Bangladesh government fund and Tk 345.20 crore from the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).

The bridge with walkways has 38 spans - five in river and 33 in the east and west ends. The width of the bridge along with walkways is 22.15 meters.

The Shitalakhya River separates the Bandar Upazila and Sonargoan Upazila from the district headquarters. 

These two Upazilas in Narayanganj are not directly connected to the district headquarters by road. Kanchpur Bridge (Shitalakhya-1 Bridge) has to be used to go the district headquarters from the two upazilas, which requires nearly 30 km of travelling by road to cross just 3 to 5 kilometers of distance through the river by boat.