Bangla govt to build 142 bridges

Dhaka: The government will build 142 bridges to replace the small and medium-size narrow bridges in the country's eastern part. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) will provide Tk 474.51 crore in loan for constructing 68 bridges which are 30 metres or above in length, while the Bangladesh government will arrange funds for the rest.

Construction works of the bridges along with the national and regional highways involving Tk 652.69 crore will be completed by 2012.

The Economic Relations Department will sign an agreement with the Japanese government for the loan this month, sources said.

The bridges could not be maintained properly due to dearth of fund. The condition of some bridges is so bad that it is not economically viable to repair them, Superintendent Engineer of the Roads and Highway Department (RHD) Nabinoor Islam Khan told The Daily Star.

Construction works of the 68 bridges to be built with Japan's financial assistance will be completed under four separate contract packages for Dhaka, Sylhet, Comilla and Chittagong region.

Eighteen bridges each will be built in Dhaka and Sylhet zones while 10 in Comilla and 22 in Chittagong zone.

“Other 74 bridges which are less than 30 metres in length will be built with government funds under 12 contract packages,” said the RHD superintendent engineer, adding that the RHD will be responsible for constructing the bridges.

With the assistance of JBIC, a pilot study of the bridges with a length of 30 metres or above which are under the RHD was conducted in 2005. A feasibility study conducted last year recommended rehabilitation of 68 bridges.

“One-lane bailey bridges have very limited load-carrying capacity as their structure is not suitable for carrying heavy loads. Besides, their maintenance cost is very high,” said a RHD engineer.

The old bridges most of which were built in 1960s do not have the capacity to bear the heavy load of present-day traffic. Besides, they are also very short in length and affect water flow.

“Their thin deck slabs can no longer bear the heavy load of trucks. Moreover, their condition deteriorated further due to lack of adequate maintenance,” said the RHD engineer.

“The Japanense government agreeing to give financial assistance for constructing 68 bridges which are 30 metre and above in length, has put a condition that the Bangladesh government replace bridges below 30 metres at its own cost,” a communication ministry official said.

The RHD has already singled out 74 bridges most of which are 15 to 22 metres in length and is now working on their designs. Besides, it will construct 14 culverts under the same project.

The project proposal has already been submitted to the planning commission, RHD sources said, adding that the project will be placed before the Ecnec soon.

Apart from it, the government has already embarked on a three-year project at a cost of Tk 437.40 crore to complete the overdue construction works of 65 bridges.