The 17th span of the 6.15-kilometre long Padma Bridge has been installed on the 22nd and the 23rd pillars at Mawa point in the district on Tuesday (Nov 26).
With the installation of the 150-meter long 4-D span on the 22nd and the 23rd pillars at the Mawa point on Tuesday (Nov 26), a total of 2,550 metres of the bridge's main structure became visible, said Humayun Kabir, an engineer of Padma Multipurpose Bridge.
"The installation was completed a little after 2pm without any trouble," he added.
Besides, the 18th span is supposed to be installed on the 17th and 18th pillars on Dec 4 or 5 while there is a plan to install another span on the 21st and 22nd pillars by December.
According to officials, two more spans arrived at Mongla port from China through marine route on November 19. The spans would arrive at Mawa by next four or five days. A total of 41 spans will be installed on 42 concrete pillars to complete the bridge.
Construction work of 33 pillars out of 42 has been completed while construction work of the much talked 7th pillar will end by this month.
Construction work of the 6th and 30th pillars would be completed by Dec 10 next while remaining pillars no 8, 10, 11, 26, 27 and 29 would be built by March 2020.
According to the project details, the construction of the 6.15-kilometre long Padma Bridge is going on in full swing with the target to complete it as soon as possible.
On Oct 14, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unveiled the name plaque of Padma Bridge Toll Plaza at the Mawa end.
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 after completion of the bridge to be built with an estimated cost of Tk 301.93 billion.
The first span of the Padma Bridge was installed on Sept 30, 2017.