The much awaited Barkal and Kalarpol bridges of Chattogram residents are being inaugurated this month. The construction work has already been completed. It is beautiful. Last minute cleaning is now underway.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate 101 bridges across the country built by the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges by the end of this month. The construction of these bridges has already been completed. Last minute preparations are going on somewhere.
There are 45 bridges in Chattogram and Chattogram Hill Tracts out of 101 bridges. These include Barkal and Kalarpol bridges under Dohazari road division in Chattogram district, Tongkabati bridge in Bandarban and 42 bridges in Khagrachari hill district.
The monitoring team-1 of Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges inspected the last minute preparations of two bridges under Dohazari road division of Chattogram district on Friday.
Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges Md Abu Naser led the monitoring team. The other members of the team are Md Delwar Hossain, Assistant Secretary of the Ministry, Mofazzal Haider, Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Department.
The monitoring team first visited Kalarpol bridge of Karnaphuli Upazila. The construction work of this bridge with a length of about 180.373 meters and a width of 10.25 meters has been completed. 550 meters connecting road has been constructed on both sides of it. Tk 24.73 crore have been spent on the construction of this bridge with the full funding of the Bangladesh government. The bridge connects Patiya and Karnaphuli upazilas.
This bridge has been constructed for the purpose of continuing the progress of the country through the construction of highway communication infrastructure and for the socio-economic development of the people. The bridge is located on the Karnaphuli canal between the Moizzartek-Boalkhali-Kanungopara and other places highway. There are some important industrial establishments including Shikalbaha Power Plant, Western Marine Shipyard on this road. As the eastern part of the bridge is connected to the Karnaphuli Tunnel link road and the western part is connected to Chattogram city through Moizzartek, it will contribute positively to achieving national economic growth. At the same time, the public will save time and money along with the convenience of transportation.
The inspection team later visited the Barkal bridge built on the Chandkhali river on the Gachbaria-Chandnaish-Barkal-Anwara road. All the works of this bridge have been completed. Just waiting for the opening.
The construction cost of the bridge is Tk 23.99 crore which is fully funded by Bangladesh Government. It is a PC girder bridge with length of 117.31 m and width of 10.25 m. A 770 meter link road has been constructed on both sides of the bridge. Tk 3.79 crore has been spent on it. Besides, 200 meters of retaining wall has been constructed on both sides of this bridge at a cost of Tk 2.01 crore.
Before the construction of this scenic bridge, there was a dilapidated Bailey bridge. Transportation was very difficult. So it was built in order to keep the communication system functioning. As the western part of the bridge is connected to the Patiya-Anwara-Banshkhali others regional highway and the eastern part to the Chattogram-Cox's Bazar national highway, it will contribute significantly to the national economy. This will improve connectivity with Bandarban district. A revolutionary change will be achieved in the communication system of Chandanish and Anwara upazila. At the same time, time and money will be saved. When the Bangabandhu Tunnel opens, some tunnel-bound vehicles will use the Barkal Bridge to ply on the Gachbaria-Anwara road.
Excitement has been seen among the local public around this beautiful bridge. Because it will contribute significantly to the reduction of accidents, traffic congestion and the establishment of uninterrupted road network in the adjacent areas of South Chittagong. The long-standing demands of the people of the area have been fulfilled as the project has been implemented. It has brought new dimensions in the development continuum.
Dohazari Road Division Executive Engineer Suman Singha along with project related senior officials were present during the inspection.
