Bridge similar to Sydney Harbor to be built over Brahmaputra 

For the first time in the country, a bow-shaped steel structure bridge, similar to Australia's Sydney Harbor, will be built at Kewatkhali on the outskirts of Mymensingh.

There will be four-lane roads on both sides of the bridge over the Brahmaputra river alongside two separate service lanes for slower vehicles. 

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved the project costing approximately Tk3,263.63 crore.

ECNEC Chairperson Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganobhaban residence while ministers and state ministers joined the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area. 

The project aims to establish improved road connectivity among the northern districts of greater Mymensingh and with the capital.

It will be implemented by the Roads and Highways Department under the Road Transport and Highways Division.

Following the ECNEC meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said the project aims to reduce congestion and improve mobility and connectivity by addressing the cross-river bottleneck between Mymensingh and Shambhugonj on the Dhaka-Mymensingh-India corridor.

"Out of the total cost for the bridge project, Taka 1,353.83 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh while the rest Taka 1,909.79 crore as project assistance from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)," he told the media while briefing. 

The bridge is expected to be completed by June 2025.

The project also seeks to ease traffic congestion in the Mymensingh city by diverting traffic away from the city's central area via the construction of the Kewatkhali Bridge over the Brahmaputra River at Mymensingh with the overpasses and approach road.

Under the project, there will be a bridge, an overpass, a 6.2 kilometer four-lane road including separate SMVT lanes, in order to establish safe, improved and cost-effective communication system among the northern districts of Mymensingh Division (Sherpur, Netrakona) and with the capital.

Besides, the road communication to and from land-ports, EPZs and special economic zones situated in those areas with the Capital would improve significantly.

The main project operations include construction of 2093 meter bridge foundation and substructure, 320 meter steel arch bridge superstructure, 1773 meter concrete bridge and construction of culverts, construction of a toll plaza, 33.02 hectares of land acquisition and rehabilitation, transfer of utilities, setting up drainage, road marking, sign-signal, barrier, rest areas and other necessary works.

Planning Commission Physical Infrastructure Division Member Mamun Al Rashid said there would not be any pillar beneath the main structure of the bridge for which there would not be any problem in navigation.

He added that the consultants of the project would provide their consultancy services during the implementation period of the bridge and also at maintenance level.