Almost 22 years ago, on July 4, 2001, Sheikh Hasina laid the foundations for the country’s tallest structure, the Padma Bridge, as the nation counts down the hours when it opens on June 25, 2022.

The foundation stone of structures as well as the inauguration plaque should bear his name as Prime Minister in different terms and in different situations.

Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone two decades ago when the longest bridge in the country was to be built with the support of foreign loan agencies, while at that time Sheikh Hasina thanked potential loan agencies for the supports that they had hired.

Eventually, the bridge emerged as a structure, built entirely with national funds, while the lending agencies were to join the dedication ceremony as witnesses.

The bridge, 6.03 kilometers long and 23.32 meters wide, has four lanes for the movement of light to heavy transport on its upper deck and trains on its lower deck, along power transmission lines and gas.

According to a pre-feasibility study, Taka 5,374.62 crore will be required for its completion by 2008.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister expressed his thanks and gratitude to the people and government of Japan for their commitment to fund the longest bridge over the mighty Padma River.

She also thanked the authority of the Asian Development Bank for co-financing the bridge, which would require a detailed feasibility study and a huge river formation.

Sheikh Hasina said the completion of the bridge will usher in a new era of development in the whole country’s direct communication network and inject dynamism into national economic activities.

Furthermore, the bridge would greatly contribute to the establishment of small, medium and large industrial units in the districts of the South-West, creating job opportunities.

Thousands of people from both sides of the Padma, carrying banners and placards, converged on Mawa Ferry Ghat in a festive mood.

Then Minister of Environment and Forests Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Minister of Food Amir Hossain Amu, Minister of Water Resources Abdur Razzak, Minister of Industry Tofail Ahmed and Minister of Communications Anwar Hossain, MPs and leaders of the Awami League were present on the occasion.

In 1996, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took the initiative to build a bridge across the Padma River and this was the first start of the Padma Bridge construction project.

Pre-feasibility study of the Padma Bridge project started in May 1999. A joint venture worked from May 1999 to February 2001 and submitted reports. The company is carrying out a comparative analysis of the construction of bridges in Paturia-Daulatdia and Mawa-Janjira.

It has been seen that the length of the main bridge at Mawa-Janjira and Paturia-Goaland would be just over 6 kilometers. However, the bank is stable at the end of Mawa. As a result, the cost of river management will be less and the construction of bridges with Mawa compared to Paturia will reduce travel costs, reduce rehabilitation costs and facilitate river management. According to the projection, if the bridge is built with Mawa-Janjira, more vehicles will have the opportunity to use the bridge.