Page 22 - 文化旅游2024-7

21 China·South Asia

Dream bridge now a reality

“梦想之桥”走进现实

About 40 kilometers southwest of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh,
stands Padma Bridge—a 7.8-kilometer-long bridge supported by 40 piers in
the water. This impressive structure is considered the dream bridge of the local
people.
The Padma River is one of the most turbulent rivers in Bangladesh. Prior
to the completion of the Padma Bridge, the lower reaches of the river remained
without a crossing due to its wide expanse, fast-flowing waters, and frequent
floods. As a result, Dhaka and over 20 districts along the south bank were only
connected by ferries. Constructing a bridge to unite residents on both sides of
the river has long been a cherished dream of the local community.
“My family has lived here for generations. In the past, there was no
bridge, making it difficult for us to cross the river. We had to rely on ferries,
which were especially dangerous during the rainy season,” said Mustafa, a
supermarket owner who resides on the south bank of the river.
In 2010, Bangladesh began construction projects related to the Padma
Bridge. China Railway Bridge Bureau Group Co., Ltd. and PowerChina
Harbor Co., Ltd. were awarded the contracts to build the bridge’s main
structure and to dredge the river’s waterway, respectively. The two projects
commenced in 2014 and 2015.
After nearly eight years of construction, the Padma Bridge officially
opened to traffic on June 25, 2022. This marked the end of the long reliance on
ferry services between Dhaka and the residents on the opposite bank, reducing
the travel time to cross the river from several hours to approximately 10
minutes.
According to statistics, over the past two years, the bridge has seen a total
traffic flow of 12.33 million vehicles, averaging about 15,000 vehicles each
day. Abdul Mateen, a resident on the south bank of the bridge, expressed his
happiness about the new crossing. “In the past, it took at least two days to get
home by boat, but now I can make the journey in just three hours, which is
fantastic!”
It is also encouraging that the priority section of the Padma Bridge
Railway Link, the largest railroad project in Bangladesh built by Chinese
enterprises and crossing the Padma Bridge, opened to traffic in October 2023.
This project utilizes advanced Chinese technologies, including ballastless track
systems. During peak construction, it employed over 10,000 local workers,
training more than 20,000 skilled Bangladeshi laborers.
“It feels amazing to cross the Padma River by train!” said a passenger
named Sadman. “Without China and the Chinese enterprises and builders, we
could not have achieved this milestone on our own.”