A New Karnafuli Bridge to be Opened on 7th
Monday, 30 August 2010
Author / Source : NURUL AMIN, CHITTAGONG
Aug 29: The Karnaphuli third bridge on the River Karnaphuli connecting the Southern Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and the hill district Banderban will be opened for vehicular traffic formally on September 7next. Talking to the Independent, the project manager said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate the bridge.
The construction of the bridge had started in July in 2006. The reputed Chinese Construction Company "Major Bridge Construction, China" had constructed the bridge.
The 980-meter long new bridge includes five pillars with two hundred-meter space. The sources said, the project involves a cost of Taka 566 crore including a foreign exchange component of Taka 372 crore providing by the Kuwait Fund.
Some 70 lakh inhabitants of the Southern part of Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar and Banderban districts will be benefited with the bridge. The opening of the new bridge is expected to contribute to the development of the port city, Chittagong, creating an opportunity to expand the city to the South Bank of the river Karnaphuli.
The existing one-kilometre-long Shah Amanat Bridge on the River Karnaphuli constructed in 1989 with the old parts of an abandoned bridge by the Netherlands at a cost of Taka 500 crores is very dangerous since its inception. For this reason, the Roads and Highways Department has declared the Shah Amanat Bridge over the River Karnaphuli partially dangerous due to damage to the wooden components of the bridge. So the movement of heavy vehicles, such as bus and trucks through the bridge has been suspended since 2003 last.
Some 50,000 vehicles including bus, microbus, pick-up, jeep, car and auto-rickshaws of 18 different routes are regularly plying through the dilapidated Shah Amanat Bridge and the Kalurghat Railway Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Railway authority had declared the Kalurghat Railway Bridge unfit for vehicular traffic. But the movement of the vehicles has been continuing although in restricted forms, after making some necessary repairs.
The Roads and Highway Department (RHD) gave the work order to the Construction Company "Major Bridge Construction, China" for constructing a new bridge on the river Karnaphuli in 2006 last.
Meanwhile the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) had conducted a survey of the River Karnaphuli by an expert team of BUET that revealed that the reason for siltation of the Karnaphuli river was the construction of Shah Amanat Bridge in the upstream of the Chittagong Port.
If another concrete bridge is constructed on the Karnaphuli, the navigational channel of the Chittagong Port will be seriously affected, the survey report said.
In this connection, CPA had conducted several surveys in the said area that depicted a danger signal for the navigational channel of the port. The survey found that the silt in the upstream would certainly hamper the operational activities of the Chittagong Port severely. So it has now become inevitable for the CPA to maintain a continuous dredging of the areas to keep the port navigable. Otherwise, the experts opined, the main installations of the port would be affected badly.
Monday, 30 August 2010
Author / Source : NURUL AMIN, CHITTAGONG
Aug 29: The Karnaphuli third bridge on the River Karnaphuli connecting the Southern Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and the hill district Banderban will be opened for vehicular traffic formally on September 7next. Talking to the Independent, the project manager said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina would inaugurate the bridge.
The construction of the bridge had started in July in 2006. The reputed Chinese Construction Company "Major Bridge Construction, China" had constructed the bridge.
The 980-meter long new bridge includes five pillars with two hundred-meter space. The sources said, the project involves a cost of Taka 566 crore including a foreign exchange component of Taka 372 crore providing by the Kuwait Fund.
Some 70 lakh inhabitants of the Southern part of Chittagong, Cox's Bazaar and Banderban districts will be benefited with the bridge. The opening of the new bridge is expected to contribute to the development of the port city, Chittagong, creating an opportunity to expand the city to the South Bank of the river Karnaphuli.
The existing one-kilometre-long Shah Amanat Bridge on the River Karnaphuli constructed in 1989 with the old parts of an abandoned bridge by the Netherlands at a cost of Taka 500 crores is very dangerous since its inception. For this reason, the Roads and Highways Department has declared the Shah Amanat Bridge over the River Karnaphuli partially dangerous due to damage to the wooden components of the bridge. So the movement of heavy vehicles, such as bus and trucks through the bridge has been suspended since 2003 last.
Some 50,000 vehicles including bus, microbus, pick-up, jeep, car and auto-rickshaws of 18 different routes are regularly plying through the dilapidated Shah Amanat Bridge and the Kalurghat Railway Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Railway authority had declared the Kalurghat Railway Bridge unfit for vehicular traffic. But the movement of the vehicles has been continuing although in restricted forms, after making some necessary repairs.
The Roads and Highway Department (RHD) gave the work order to the Construction Company "Major Bridge Construction, China" for constructing a new bridge on the river Karnaphuli in 2006 last.
Meanwhile the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) had conducted a survey of the River Karnaphuli by an expert team of BUET that revealed that the reason for siltation of the Karnaphuli river was the construction of Shah Amanat Bridge in the upstream of the Chittagong Port.
If another concrete bridge is constructed on the Karnaphuli, the navigational channel of the Chittagong Port will be seriously affected, the survey report said.
In this connection, CPA had conducted several surveys in the said area that depicted a danger signal for the navigational channel of the port. The survey found that the silt in the upstream would certainly hamper the operational activities of the Chittagong Port severely. So it has now become inevitable for the CPA to maintain a continuous dredging of the areas to keep the port navigable. Otherwise, the experts opined, the main installations of the port would be affected badly.
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