The Wait Is Over, Payra Bridge Is Being Opened Today

The wait is over for the people of south. Now they are just counting the moments. The gates of the aesthetic Payra Bridge on the Barisal-Patuakhali-Kuakata Highway are being opened today (October 24). Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the bridge by joining virtually from Ganobhaban this morning. In the meantime, vehicles will start moving on the Pigeon Bridge.  

At the same time, on the other side of the Padma, about 213 km road from Kathalbari in Shariatpur to Kuakata will be connected to the ferry-free direct uninterrupted communication system. 

To reach Kuakata beach in Patuakhali via Mawa from Dhaka, one had to cross the river at 10 places by ferry. There were six ferry crossings from Barisal to Kuakata. There were four ferry routes from Dhaka to Barisal via Mawa. Lebukhali and Padma were left after bridges were built everywhere. The bridge is being inaugurated in Lebukhali today. Work on the Padma Bridge is nearing completion. The government is planning to open the bridge to traffic by next June.

Transport officials say it could take six to seven hours to travel from Dhaka to Kuakata if the Padma Bridge is opened. Now it takes about 10 hours if there is no congestion at the ferry terminal. However, there is confusion. Sometimes it is not possible to reach in 15 hours. Vehicles had to wait for one to one and a half hours to cross the Payra River.

On the other hand, the opening of the Payra Bridge will bring economic prosperity to the South, development of the tourism industry and Payra Seaport - above all socio-economic development. Besides, the people of the southern region think that there will be unprecedented development in the communication system in 10 coastal areas including the Barisal-Patuakhali-Barguna district.

After Cox's Bazar, the country's largest beach is in Kuakata. Not only tourism potential, but the government also has plans for industrialization there. Work is underway to establish economic zones. Payra has a thermal power plant. Sher-e-Bangla's three-dimensional naval base at Kalapara in Patuakhali is under construction. New investments are being made in the tourism sector in Kuakata. Everyone hopes that the number of tourists in Kuakata will increase in the coming days.

According to the Roads Department, the Payra Bridge is located on the Payra River at the border of Barisal District, the end of Bakerganj Upazila, and the beginning of Patuakhali District at the beginning of Lebukhali Union in Dumki Upazila. Weight scale has been constructed on the north side of the bridge and an electronic toll plaza has been constructed on the south side.

The distance from the toll plaza of the Padma Bridge to the Payra Bridge adjoining Sheikh Hasina Cantonment at the end of Barisal is about 134 kilometers. And its distance from Rupatali bus stand of Barisal city is 29 kilometers. Besides, the Payra Bridge is located 79 km away from the tourist city Kuakata bus stand.  

Payra Bridge Construction Project Director (PD) Engineer. Abdul Halim said that one of the special features of the bridge awaiting inauguration is the deepest foundation. The bridge has 130 meters of piles. Which has also been done in the case of Padma bridge. 

"For the first time, we have introduced a bridge health monitoring system at Payra Bridge," he said. The system will signal in advance if there is a risk of damage to the bridge due to various disasters or overloaded vehicles, high magnitude earthquakes, and lightning. Moreover, in case of an accident in the air and waterways, the signal light will be lit on this bridge. Which has been the first addition to any bridge in the country.

According to the Roads Department, on March 19, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited Patuakhali and laid the foundation stone of the four-lane Payra Bridge. The physical work of the bridge started in July 2016. Construction was delayed due to natural disasters and global epidemics. Due to these reasons, the cost of the latest bridge project has increased to Tk 1,447 crore. Which is more than three and a half times the estimated original cost at the beginning. Initially, the expenditure was estimated at Tk 413.29 crore.

The construction of the bridge was carried out by the Chinese contractor Longzian Road and Bridge Construction with the joint investment of Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, OPEC Fund for International Development, and the Government of Bangladesh. The four-lane bridge with a length of 1,480 meters and a width of 19.76 meters is modeled on the Karnafuli Bridge in the form of an extra dose cable state. As a result, only one pillar has been used in the middle of the river on the Payra Bridge.

Besides, the pipes of pillars 16 and 17 are 130 meters long which is the deepest pile in the country. Separate safety pillars have been placed on the main pillars in and around the river so that no vessel can push them. Two spans larger than the Padma, i.e. 200 meters in length, have been installed on the bridge. Moreover, the bridge is 18.30 meters high from the river. As a result, there will be no inconvenience in navigating the river. The night Payra bridge will be illuminated by solar power.

Payra bridge construction project engineer Abdul Halim said the construction and decoration work of Payra Bridge has been completed long ago. The work of river governance to protect the bridge will be completed soon. However, there is no obstacle in the opening of the bridge. The Prime Minister gave time for the inauguration of the bridge on Sunday. He will inaugurate the virtual bridge from his official residence Ganobhaban.

He said local people's representatives, divisional commissioners, senior officials of Barisal and Patuakhali district administrations, and the roads department would be present at the Barisal end. After the inauguration of the Prime Minister, the traffic on the Payra Bridge will start.