Govt plans two major bridges over Meghna under PPP

The government has moved to build two major bridges over the Meghna River system under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, aiming to improve interdistrict connectivity.

The planned projects include a 10.86km bridge linking Barishal and Bhola districts and an 8km bridge over the Meghna connecting Chandpur and Shariatpur.

A proposal from the Bridges Division to implement the two projects under the PPP framework will be placed today for in-principle approval before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs at a meeting to be chaired by Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, according to sources.

The proposed Barishal-Bhola bridge will be more than twice the length of the Jamuna Bridge. The project is estimated to cost Tk17,466 crore, which is considerably lower than the cost of constructing the Padma Bridge.

Meanwhile, the proposed bridge over the Meghna river on the Shariatpur-Chandpur route will be nearly double the length of the Jamuna Bridge and is estimated to cost Tk15,957 crore.

Both bridges were included in the election manifesto of the BNP. Earlier, the Awami League government had also carried out feasibility studies for bridges linking Bhola with Barishal and connecting Shariatpur with Chandpur over the Meghna River. The party's 2024 election manifesto had also pledged to construct the two bridges.

Officials at the finance ministry said the Bridges Division has submitted a proposal seeking in-principle approval from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs to implement the projects under the PPP model.

If approved, the division will move forward with detailed planning and begin searching for domestic and international partners to implement the projects.

Quazi Muhammad Ferdous, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, told The Business Standard that the projects have been planned under the PPP model to reduce financial pressure on the government.

"Across the world, such projects are now being implemented through PPP," he said, adding that the two projects are of national importance and there is strong public demand for their implementation

"If the government decides to proceed, agreements will be signed with partners. However, no specific discussions have yet been held with any local or foreign investors regarding these two bridges," he noted.

Improved connectivity across regions

Currently, vehicles cross the Meghna between Chandpur and Shariatpur by ferry. Once the bridge is built, road communication between Khulna and Barishal with Chattogram and Sylhet is expected to become easier and shorter.

According to the Bridges Division, the Chandpur-Shariatpur bridge would allow vehicles travelling between Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet to avoid entering Dhaka. 

The bridge is also expected to reduce the distance between Khulna and Chattogram by about 90 kilometres for traffic coming from the Benapole Land Port, Bhomra Land Port, Mongla Port and Payra Port.

The division plans to complete construction of the Chandpur-Shariatpur bridge by 2033. By that time, the route is expected to carry around 10,000 vehicles per day.

Officials at the division said a feasibility study for the Barishal-Bhola bridge – to be built over the Tetulia and Kalabadar rivers – was conducted in 2020.

During the previous Awami League administration, the proposal was placed before the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for in-principle approval as a PPP project. However, the then prime minister instructed officials to conduct a detailed review of the earlier feasibility study.

Following that directive, the study was reassessed, and a revised report was prepared.

The Bridges Division has indicated that the Barishal-Bhola bridge could be completed by 2032. By then, an estimated 5,200 vehicles are expected to use the bridge daily.