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POST TIME: 25 October, 2019 00:00 00 AM
Chinese "bridge doctor" maintains the longest bridge in Bangladesh
Xinhua

Chinese

The 4.8-kilometre-long Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River is the longest bridge in Bangladesh. Since 2011, the China Communications Construction Company Limited (CCCC) has successively won international biddings for repairing cracks in the bridge deck and box girder, as well as its operation and maintenance. The CCCC has been acting as the "doctor" of the bridge over the past few years.

Hou Depeng, an employee of the CCCC, joined the bridge repair and maintenance team in 2011. Now, Hou’s team ensures that the bridge is properly maintained and can operate as normal. He believes that his team does a good job as long as they pay attention to every detail in their daily work.

This year, violent floods struck South Asia, exerting great pressure on bridge maintenance. Faced with the difficulties, Hou's team initiated an emergency plan and increased patrolling, so that problems were detected and addressed in a timely manner. In addition, they patrolled the course of the river every day and reported all the data collected and any traffic accidents to the owner of the bridge.

The owner, the Bangladesh Bridge Bureau, expressed its approval of the bridge’s maintenance. Field executive engineer praised Hou's team for their high efficiency and responsiveness, which he said guaranteed normal operation of the bridge.

Personnel training has played a key role in the bridge's operation and maintenance by Chinese and local employees. Hou said that his team has organised regular fire drills, road and aerial rescue drills, safety and skill trainings, as well as project manager lectures and corporate culture presentations.