Bridge authority pushes cashless tolling, reviews Payra bridge project

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority is stepping up efforts to introduce a fully cashless, automated and environmentally sustainable tolling system across the country's major transport infrastructure.

As part of the initiative, Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Secretary of the Bridges Division and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, visited the Padma Bridge Site Office and the project site for the construction of a bridge over the Payra River on the Kachua–Betagi road.

The visit aimed to review the field-level implementation of directives from the Minister and State Minister of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, in line with the Prime Minister's vision for a modern transport network.

Altaf Hossain Sekh, Director (Administration) of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, Additional Secretary and Convener of the Project Monitoring Team, accompanied him during the visit.

The Project Director, Additional Director of the Padma Bridge Site Office, Deputy Project Director, site office officials, project officials and representatives of the consultant and contractor were also present.

Following the inspection of the Payra bridge project site, the Secretary and the Additional Secretary planted saplings on the site office premises. They also instructed project officials to support the government's programme to plant 25 crore trees over five years.

The Project Director informed the Secretary that work was underway to plant 1,000 trees under the project in 2026. A total of 2,000 trees are planned for planting under the project.

In the Padma Bridge area, 7,622 trees have already been planted against the 2026 target of 15,000, while work to plant the remaining trees is continuing.

Addressing project officials, Mohammad Abdur Rouf said, "Every step towards realising the prime minister's vision of transforming Bangladesh's transport sector through world-class, modern and automated infrastructure must be carefully planned.

"The special directives issued by the Minister and State Minister of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges to accelerate and strengthen the electronic toll collection system across our bridges, elevated expressways and tunnels remain our highest priority."

He said protecting the environment alongside developing infrastructure was a moral responsibility.

"The greening programme undertaken under the prime minister's direction is not merely about planting trees; it represents our commitment to building a liveable and sustainable environment," he said.

"I thank everyone involved in the projects for the progress made towards achieving the Bridges Division's tree-planting targets for 2026. However, the pace of work must not slow, and all remaining activities must be completed carefully within the stipulated timeframe."

A project progress review meeting was later held at the site office conference room, chaired by Mohammad Abdur Rouf. The meeting reviewed the project's overall progress, ongoing activities and future course of action.

Issues raised by the contractor were also discussed in detail in the presence of representatives from the consulting firm.

The Secretary instructed the contractor to take the necessary measures to meet the project targets within the stipulated timeframe. He also emphasised closer coordination among all parties to expedite implementation.

Highlighting the need to modernise toll management, Mohammad Abdur Rouf said electronic toll collection services must be made universally available to ensure a more modern, transparent and user-friendly system.

He directed the concerned authorities to implement the necessary technical changes promptly to reduce inconvenience to road users and expedite toll collection.

"We want to establish an automated system that makes maximum use of modern technology while simplifying services for users," he said.

The Bridges Division and the Bangladesh Bridge Authority remain committed to implementing the Unified National Electronic Toll Collection Framework and other public-oriented programmes in line with the prime minister's directives to modernise the country's transport infrastructure, support economic prosperity and promote environmental sustainability.