Padma Bridge: 35th span to be installed Saturday
The 35th span (2-B) will be installed on the Padma Bridge on Saturday as the navigability crisis in the river has been resolved through dredging on Friday evening.
The authorities concerned said the navigability nearby the designated piers was ensured through dredging. So, the floating crane, Tian-e, will be able to bring the 35th span at the designated piers.
"All preparations have been made to install the 35th span on the Piers 8 and 9 on the Mawa point of the bridge on Saturday. After the 35th span is installed, 5,250 meters of the Padma Bridge can be visible," Engr Dewan Md Abdul Quader, executive engineer of Padma Bridge project, told Daily Observer Online on Friday night.
He said though there was intend to install the 35th span on Friday, it could not be done due to navigability crisis in the river Padma.
Engr Quader said the floating crane--Tian-e--will sail towards the Piers 8 and 9 with the span from the Kumarbhogh Construction Yard at about 8:00am on Saturday. The length from the construction yard to the two piers is over 900 meters. The crane is likely to reach the Piers within 20 minutes. It might be possible to set up the span by early in the afternoon if there is no technical problems or bad weather.
It is learnt that the rest seven spans including the 35th span will be installed at the Mawa point of the bridge. Installing all of the spans of Janjira point was already completed. After installation of the 35th span on Saturday, you will find a intend to install the 36th span (1-B) on the Piers 2 and 3 on November 4, the 37th span (2-C) on the Piers 9 and 10 on November 11, the 38th span (1-A) on the Piers 1 and 2 on November 16, the 39th span (2-D) on the Piers 10 and 11 on November 23, the 40th span (2-E) on the Piers 11 and 12 on December 2 and the 41st span (2-F) on the Piers 12 and 13 on December 10.
Besides, 1,041, out of 2,917 roadway slabs of the bridge have already been installed. On the other hand, 1,500, out of 2,959 railway slabs, have already been installed so far.
Construction of the Padma Bridge started out in December 2014. The first span was installed on the Piers 37 and 38 on September 30, 2017. Since that time 33 spans have already been installed one after another, which made 4,950 meters or 4.95 kilometers of the bridge visible.
The 6.15km long Padma Bridge is being built installing 41 spans (each 150 meters in length) on a total of 42 piers of the bridge.
China Major Bridge Engineering Construction Company has been constructing the primary bridge, while Sinohydro Corporation of China is doing the river training work. Abdul Monem Limited of Bangladesh has been constructing two approach roads of the Padma Bridge.
The Padma Bridge will be a two-storeyed double-deck bridge in form. It is being built with concrete and steel. The bridge may very well be opened for traffic in 2021.
