The long-awaited Kalna Bridge, the 1st 6-lane bridge in Bangladesh will be inaugurated Monday, 10 October, bridging the Madhumati River in Narail.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate the 690-metre bridge, also known as Madhumati Bridge, via video conference.
The bridge is totally ready to become fully operational as soon as it is inaugurated, said Ashrafuzzaman, Project Manager of Madhumati Bridge and Executive Engineer of Roads and Highways Department in Narail.
Residents of Gopalganj, Narail, Jashore, Benapole, Satkhira and north-western districts in the country have been eagerly waiting to cross the bridge since the inauguration date was announced.
Ashrafuzzaman said, “The length of the bridge is 690 metres and the width is 27.1 metres. The six-lane connecting road on both sides is about 4.5 kilometers.”
The total cost of construction of the bridge is about Tk 9.60 billion which has been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) under the Cross Border Road Network Improvement Project of the Department of Roads and Highways.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of Kalna Bridge in January 2015.
Toll rates fixed
The Madhumati Bridge authority has already fixed the toll rates to be paid to cross the bridge by different vehicles.
Large trailers will need to pay Tk 565, trucks with three or four axles Tk 450, medium-sized trucks with two axles Tk 225 and small trucks Tk 170.
Meantime, large buses will have to pay Tk 205, minibuses or coasters Tk 115, microbuses, pick up vans, converted jeeps and wreckers Tk 80, and private cars Tk 55.
Autorickshaw, three-wheelers, battery and CNG-driven autorickshaws will pay Tk 25, motorcycles Tk 10, and finally paddled vans, rickshaws, or bicycles will pay Tk 5.0 as toll to cross the bridge.
After the inauguration, the toll will be collected manually first. Subsequently toll will be collected digitally through the operator.
