The 15th span of the Padma Bridge has been installed on the Jazeera end making 2, 250 metres of the mega project visible.

The span (super structure) was installed on Tuesday (Oct 22), confirmed Padma Bridge Assistant Engineer Humayun Kabir.

Of the 15 out of the 41 spans that have been installed, one span has been placed temporarily on the Mawa end. The 14th span was installed four months ago.

The engineer said that the delay is caused by the large amount of polythene in the river which blocks the channel and hinders the crane’s navigation.

The state-funded 9.83 km bridge will cost approximately Tk 301.93 billion to be constructed. The progress of the project is at 74 percent.

According to a report, work for the Jazeera and Mawa connecting road and service area-2 has been completed and 169,000 trees have been planted on either side of the bridge. A museum is also being set up in the nearby area.

The government has, till June, given nearly Tk 6.42 billion in compensation to those who sustained damages during construction. Moreover, 2,690 land plots have been handed over to families in the repatriation area and 697 homeless families were given plots for free.

According to experts, the national economy is expected to witness 1.2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 percent poverty will be reduced every year.