Just days away for Padma Bridge to end commuters’ long wait

The sun is beating down. Jalil Mridha, an employee at Dhaka University, is waiting at Mawa ghat for a launch to cross Padma bridge. 

In the journey to his village home, the wait is usually long and boring – it started after he got on a bus at the Gulistan bus stand to reach Mawa ghat. Then came the wait for the launch to cross the river. At the other end of the river, he has to take another bus to reach his home district Faridpur.   

"I do not know how long I have to wait to board another bus at Kathalbari ghat once I cross the river," he said with annoyance. 

Not Jalil Mridha alone, all are having to spend an extra two hours to cross the Padma to go to the country's southwestern districts from the capital. And, the ferry crossing takes a lot of time, even up to three hours.

Nonetheless, commuters, who need to cross the River Padma on a regular basis, are now in a jolly mood as they are soon going to get a relief from such nagging wait as the opening of the much-awaited Padma bridge is drawing closer. 

Another commuter Sabid Rehman from Barishal's Gournadi said vehicles had to wait for hours in queues to get on ferries during Eid.  "The situation will change completely during next Eid-ul-Adha as vehicles will easily cross the river using the Padma bridge."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to inaugurate the 6.15km long Padma Bridge on 25 June. With the launch of this bridge, 19 districts of the country's southwestern region will directly be connected with the capital. This will save money and time in crossing the river, and it will also reduce the risk of life.

According to government data, the launch of the Padma bridge will save a total of 187,727 hours of waiting for ferries per day for 2,620 vehicles, including light vehicles, buses and trucks. If time value is This will save Tk680 crore in time value per year.

With the reduction in transportation time, industries, housing, trade and tourism in the southwestern region are expected to see a big boost.

According to a survey conducted by Japan International Cooperation Agency, 100% of the people on the Janjira point believe that the opening of the Padma bridge will facilitate travel and transportation to a great extent. And 20% of them think the medical system will improve as well.

Some 75% of the respondents on the Mawa side and 20% on the Janjira end think that there will be increased opportunities for businesses. 

At least 25% of people on both sides of the river believe that rising income will improve their quality of life.

While 25% of the respondents on the Mawa side and 40% on Janjira point said a rise in capital supply will lead to a boost in businesses. 

Half of the people participated in the survey think new employment opportunities will be created.

About 30% of the people in Mawa think land prices are increasing and 60% in Janjira are optimistic about it, thanks to the Padma bridge. 

Some 100% people on the Mawa side and 60% on the Janjira point said the bridge will help reduce the river erosion.

Economist Ahsan H Mansur said the construction of the bridge will speed up industrialization in the south-western parts of the country as it will save time and money on transportation, which was seen after the Padma bridge's construction started. 

According to the feasibility study report by Jica, the average crossing time is 2.5 hours in the high-water level season and 2 hours in the low water level season from Mawa to Janjira.

Approximately 62,500 passengers cross the river directly from the north-east Dhaka region to the south-west each day. In terms of vehicle numbers, 2,909 vehicles cross the Padma per day, comprising 1,295 trucks, 700 light vehicles, and 914 buses.

As trucks cross the river by ferries, no loading and unloading of cargo takes place. Trucks tend to have long waiting times. This increases their travel time by hours or even days.

A bus or coach has to wait for 66 minutes for a ferry while the waiting time for a truck is 109 minutes. Total 188 minutes are required for a bus to cross the river, including waiting time. A truck requires up to 231 minutes.

The report further said with the opening of the Padma bridge, the daily operating cost of vehicles will come down owing to a rise in speed, which will save a total of Tk438 crore per year for all transports. 

If the waiting time of the ferry is taken into calculation, the total time saved is valued at Tk1,118 crore.