One of Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure projects, structured through a Chinese-Bangladeshi consortium, a two-tier bridge across the Padma River with road and rail capability, has been further delayed due to a design failure, officials told BenarNews.
Railway Minister Nurul Islam Sujon and Planning Minister Muhammad Abdul Mannan recorded Thursday and talked to structure officials about considerations that trains could block traffic on the proposed bridge.
“Yes, some have been detected. But they can be corrected,” Sujon said.
The Padma River separates the capital Dhaka from the southern and southwestern parts of Bangladesh. Since independence in 1971, government officials have discussed the construction of the bridge for the construction of economic activity with regions outside the capital.
“The government sought to see the launch of the rail service on the same day as the opening of the highway bridge in June 2022. But I can honestly say that the rail assignment won’t be completed until then,” Mannan said.
“In fact, the allocation of the rail link expired because we did not get investment from China. Chinese loans involve long-term paperwork,” he added.
The allocation of the rail link must be completed by June 2022, while in January of this year, the deadline was delayed until June 2024.
Earlier this month, Bangladeshi officials said 25% of the rail link allocation was completed in June. Minutes of a September 9 review meeting reported through BenarNews revealed that the final touch of the rail assignment had been delayed until 2028.
In August, the assignment manager, Shafiqul Islam, sent a letter to his bosses in the Department of Road Transport and Bridges expressing his fear that contractor China Railway Engineering Corp. (CREC) would have reduced the height and width of the rails and tracks.
It stated that the bridge was not wide enough to meet the expected traffic volume and that there was not enough distance between the bleachers for rail traffic, according to the letter notified through BenarNews.
The letter indicated that the proposed width of the upper floor, just under 10 meters (32. 8 feet), “was not sufficient for the movement of vehicles” on the four-lane bridge.
“The minimum width should be at least 15. 5 meters (50. 8 feet),” he wrote.
Islam also stated that the area between the upper and descending grades about a part of one meter less than the required 6 meters (19. 7 feet).
The letter also raised considerations that adjustments to the bridge would affect vehicle traffic due to trains.
“The CREC cut a hundred meters (328 feet) of technical track in the Janjira section (bridge), ” says the letter. “In the future, this component would seriously hinder the movement of vehicles. “
Chinese embassy officials in Dhaka responded to BenarNews’ requests for comment.
Project delays
After entering into force in 2009, prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government sought to finance the bridge structure, but rejected by the World Bank.
The Chinese are committed to lending 85% of the project’s burden.
CREC and Chinese structural corporations won the contract and built the 6. 1 km (3. 8 mile) Padma Bridge.
CREC is guilty of the railway part of the project, which began in January 2016, and China Major Bridge Engineering is guilty of the main road bridge structure, which began in November 2014.
By 2019, officials had noticed that the assignment gave the impression of being scheduled: its official online website said staff had completed 84% of the bridge. In addition, the allocated charge increased from US$2. 4 billion to more than US$3. 87 billion through 2018. .
The COVID-19 outbreak, which appears to have originated in Wuhan, China, caused additional delays before this year, as many Chinese engineers and workers who had returned home during their visit were stranded there due to restrictions.