Bangladesh dismisses reports linking construction of Padma Bridge with China's BRI

[Bilal9]

Here is more on the AECOM design for the bridge footer tubular piling. Each piling is as deep as a 40 storey building (below the riverbed), has a re-bar steel cage with tubular piling and is cast with solid specialized cement.

The bridge design by AECOM was discussed in this article,

STRUCTURE magazine | Padma Bridge

www.structuremag.org

 

[etylo]

Highly unlikely the Europeans, Japanese or North American engineers chickened out because of the engineering challege, they are master engineers. But that doesn't mean the Chinese not master engineers either. Now it's in the past, we are just happy that the bridge has been built.

From wikipedia on the bridge:

History​

On 18 September 1998, a project worth Tk. 3,843.50 crore was proposed for the construction of a bridge over the Padma River on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga-Khulna Highway with the aim of establishing direct communication between the capital and the south and southwest of the country. At 5 km long and 18.10 m wide, this bridge is considered to be the longest possible bridge in the country. Construction was proposed to begin in July 1999 and be completed in June 2004. The proposed amount of Taka 2,893.50 crore was from foreign sources and Taka 750 crore from local sources.[11]

In the 2006-2007 Annual Development Program, the then Government of Bangladesh adopted a plan to build the Padma Multipurpose Bridge.[12]

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early 2011[13] and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late 2015[14][unreliable source?]).

After allegations of corruption by some people associated with the project's preparation, the World Bank withdrew its commitment and other donors followed. The Government of Bangladesh then decided to fund the project itself.[8]

China proposed building the bridge on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by investing $2 billion or 70 percent of the project cost. Four companies—China Major Bridge Engineering Company, Daelim-L&T JV and Samsung C&T Corporation—purchased the tender papers. However, only the Chinese company submitted their financial proposal on 24 April 2014.

On 17 June 2014, important progress had been made in the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. A construction firm, China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd, was selected to construct the long aspired bridge on the river Padma. The 6.15 km bridge cost an estimated ৳91.72 billion (US$1.1 billion).

 

[Bengal71]

From wikipedia on the bridge:

History​

On 18 September 1998, a project worth Tk. 3,843.50 crore was proposed for the construction of a bridge over the Padma River on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga-Khulna Highway with the aim of establishing direct communication between the capital and the south and southwest of the country. At 5 km long and 18.10 m wide, this bridge is considered to be the longest possible bridge in the country. Construction was proposed to begin in July 1999 and be completed in June 2004. The proposed amount of Taka 2,893.50 crore was from foreign sources and Taka 750 crore from local sources.[11]

In the 2006-2007 Annual Development Program, the then Government of Bangladesh adopted a plan to build the Padma Multipurpose Bridge.[12]

The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early 2011[13] and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late 2015[14][unreliable source?]).

After allegations of corruption by some people associated with the project's preparation, the World Bank withdrew its commitment and other donors followed. The Government of Bangladesh then decided to fund the project itself.[8]

China proposed building the bridge on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by investing $2 billion or 70 percent of the project cost. Four companies—China Major Bridge Engineering Company, Daelim-L&T JV and Samsung C&T Corporation—purchased the tender papers. However, only the Chinese company submitted their financial proposal on 24 April 2014.

On 17 June 2014, important progress had been made in the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. A construction firm, China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd, was selected to construct the long aspired bridge on the river Padma. The 6.15 km bridge cost an estimated ৳91.72 billion (US$1.1 billion).

That's a financial thing. Others didn't chicken out because of engineering challenges. Two different things.

 

[etylo]

That's a financial thing. Others didn't chicken out because of engineering challenges. Two different things.

Yeah, it's unprofitable or too low profit, or unfeasible for those companies to build the bridge.

 

[Wergeland]

Why does indians cry about what infrastructure BD choose to build on its own soil?

If its part of BRI or not is entirely up to BD so go suck on your thumbs indians.

 

[Bilal9]

Why does indians cry about what infrastructure BD choose to build on its own soil?

If its part of BRI or not is entirely up to BD so go suck on your thumbs indians.

WION has made seven different news pieces on this in the last week alone.

This is called Sanghi thinking - sniffing everyone's rear end....

BRI'r nam shunlei Sanghira dhutitey peshab koira dai....

 

[bluesky]

Highly unlikely the Europeans, Japanese or North American engineers chickened out because of the engineering challege, they are master engineers. But that doesn't mean the Chinese not master engineers either. Now it's in the past, we are just happy that the bridge has been built.

Well AECOM designed the bridge and there must have been more than one party who were ready to proceed with the construction, but Bangladesh Bridge Authority chose MBEC.

I think the article is choosing to pat Chinese govt. and MBEC in the back. A bit of self congratulation which we are OK with, in Bangladesh. I don't think any other company besides MBEC could have built the bridge with this quality and this budget, this fast.

Guys, you must have been swayed away by the bfake news that American or Japanese companies chickened out for fear of unable to overpower the technical difficulties.

It is very seldom that Western companies come out to do the constructions nowadays. It is expensive, too.

But, usually they do the design-related works that you guys term consultancy. I ask you to understand the narratives of Consultant Companies. It is not an advisory company that makes time to time phone calls or holds a few showcase meetings so that other guys ask for their advises.

The Consultant starts working from the concept stage. It does surveying, soil investigations, site selection of the piers/ pillars, the soil bearing capacity, the pile bearing capacity, conducts stress analysis of the RCC and pile caps, girders or the chords of a truss bridge so that the entire bridge can withstand the heavy imposed loads generated by 1) Dead Loads, 2) Live and/ or Moving Loads, and 3) Wind Load or 4) Seismic Loads.

No. 1 and No. 2 acts vertically downward and No. 3 and No. 4 laterally/ horizontally. The Consulting Company’’s engineers do the stress analysis of all the bridge members with these loads imposed.

The Consultant company also produces design drawings as well as the construction specification. It’s engineers also prepare the overall construction schedules.

Someone was claiming that bring in Consultants and every big project will be non-problem.

I do not think it will help us. The British were our big Consultants for 190 years. Yet, we remain as peasant as our forefathers were.