Khulna Diaries: No more hearing my boss yell over being late

Mohammad Babul Sheikh, 42, was at a loss for words. He was still overcome with emotion.

"I am taking a cargo of fish to Dhaka. Even a few days ago, the journey would take at least 11 hours. But this is no longer the case. I cannot express my joy honestly," he said.

Akasah Islam, a driver of Chowdhury Paribahan, felt the same. "This is my first trip on the bridge. It's such a beautiful bridge. And to think it will take around only three hours to get to Dhaka," he said.

He also said that many of his passengers had come just to see the Padma Bridge.

Monir Hossain, a driver of Shadheen Bus, had plied this route for as long as he could remember. This would be the first time he would be using the Padma Bridge.

"I feel ecstatic. I have never driven on such a beautiful bridge before," he said.

'Padma Bridge will change the face of the country'

Khalilur Rahman was going to Khulna from Dhaka across the Padma Bridge with his cargo of gas cylinders.

"This is probably the happiest day of my life. I have ever had such a smooth journey on the road as I did today. I didn't even feel like I crossed the great Padma river," he said.

Khalilur has been travelling on this route with his cargo of gas cylinders for a long time. But today, there was a marked difference.

"I had to wait on the ferry for a long time. We would be allowed after goods-laden trucks and emergency vehicles got off. If there was a festival, I would have to sit at the dock for five to seven days.

"All the time, I would have to hear my boss yelling at me over the phone. All us drivers would have to eat using our own money. Now, this bridge will benefit the owners and us as well," he said.

"Padma Bridge will change the face of the country."

Toll booth troubles don't faze commuters

The rush of excited commuters two hours before the bridge even opened to the public, led to long queues at the toll booth.

The blight, however, did not worry commuters too much as the journey was still relatively faster.

Ashkiul Islam, a passenger, said, "I left Sayedabad for Khulna at 8am. Once we reached the toll plaza of the Padma Bridge, we got into heavy traffic and waited for more than an hour. Later, I reached Khulna around 1pm," he said.

Returning to Dhaka, truck driver Rahmat Miah said, "It took me six hours to reach Khulna from Dhaka. But if there wasn't heavy traffic, then I could have reached it in 3.5 hours to four hours."

"Before it would be 12-15 hours as we had to use the ferry since most goods from Khulna to Dhaka are sent at night.

Truck driver Syed Ali said, "I will leave Khulna for Dhaka at 11pm tonight. Hopefully I will be able to reach Dhaka in four hours. At the same time, I will see Padma Bridge at night."