The government has planned to construct 87 bridges in important points across the country in a bid to improve rural road connectivity and help boost agricultural production, reports UNB. The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Local Government Division has submitted a draft project, titled ‘Construction of important bridges in rural roads’, to the Planning Commission with an estimated cost of Tk 2890.36 crore, said a Commission official.
He said the project will be implemented by June 2020 with funds from the national exchequer. According to the official, the Planning Commission has already recommended giving approval to the Development Project Proposal (DPP) of the scheme. Talking to the news agency, Local Government Division Secretary Abdul Malek said once the project is implemented, the rural road connectivity, especially the upazila road connectivity, would get strengthened facilitating smoother transportation of goods and passengers.
Another official at the Planning Commission said the project proposed construction of some 87 bridges in 64 upazilas of 32 districts to reduce the transportation time and cost, easing the transportation of both farm and non-farm products and thus generate short and long-term employment opportunities.
Out of the 87 proposed bridges, a hydrological and morphological feasibility study for 37 bridges has already been completed by BUET and IWM, while there is no need for conducting feasibility study for 21 bridges since their length are below 100 meters.
The main project operations include construction of some 18,550 meters of main bridge, 45,100 meters approach and access roads, some 150 hectare land acquisition, some 10,150 meters of river training works.
Talking to the news agency, a Planning Commission member said it will be easier to establish good road connectivity among various schools, colleges, hat-bazars, shopping centers, community centers alongside smooth transportation and marketing of both farm and non-farm products after on completion of the project.
He, however, said the Local Government Division is currently working on some aspects of the project after making some changes, they would finally send it to the Planning Commission for processing it for the final approval of Ecnec. The Pre Evaluation Committee (PEC) meeting on the proposed project was first held on August 17, 2016 where it was initially proposed to construct some 70 bridges with overall length of 15,914 meters involving an estimated cost of Tk 2440 crore, said a LGED official wishing anonymity. “But, considering the necessity, the number of bridges under the proposed project has been raised with overall length of 18,550 meters,” the LGED official.