Tk800 crore earned in toll collection from Padma Bridge in one year: Bridge authority
Around Tk800 crore was earned in toll collection from the Padma Multipurpose Bridge in the one year since its inauguration, said the bridge authority.
"In the first year, Padma Bridge's daily toll collection was more than Tk2.10 core. At the end of the year, a total of Tk7,982,396,650 crores had been collected in tolls," Padma Bridge Site Office Additional Director Md Amirul Haider Chowdhury told The Business Standard.
However, as Bangladesh Army and SSF pay the total toll for their transport crossings together every month, their tolls will be available at the end of the month. According to the related sources, the toll amount will increase slightly.
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The bridge authority said around 57lakh vehicles travelled through the Padma Bridge since its inauguration on 25 June of last year. They said the number will increase at a rate of at least 4% every year.
An analysis of the data of the bridge department shows that an average of more than 15,000 vehicles have crossed every day.
The government has undertaken dozens of projects to improve road connectivity with the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga Elevated Expressway to ensure ease of travel to the remaining destinations by crossing the Padma Bridge.
Under these projects, new roads and bridges are being constructed besides widening the existing roads. Some of these projects have been completed while some are awaiting approval.
Sources in the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges said that the cost of the three ongoing projects of the ministry to improve connectivity with the Padma Bridge has been estimated at Tk69,416 crore.
If the ongoing projects are added, the government is spending at least Tk1.5 lakh crores for the development of Padma Bridge's connectivity.
According to Planning Commission sources, the Road Transport and Highways Department has sent two separate project proposals at a cost of Tk18,078 crore to upgrade the 129km road from Bhanga to Benapole in Jashore to six lanes on the model of the expressway from Dhaka to Bhanga via Padma Bridge.
A meeting of the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) was also held in the Planning Commission on the proposed expenditure of Tk4,237 crore for land acquisition of the road.
Commission officials said the proposal may be presented to Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for final approval in a few days.
The road department says that the Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole road is part of the Asian Highway. At its end, 90% of the total import trade with the country is handled through India's Petropole port.
This road is also used to travel to Mongla seaport. If this road is upgraded to six lanes, trade and commerce with India will increase by 15-20%.
Apart from this, this road will also increase India's goods transportation facilities from India via Tamabil Port via Sylhet-Dhaka-Padma Bridge-Jashore-Benapole.
According to sources in the Bridge Department, the process of implementing the Dhaka East-West Elevated Expressway project at a cost of $2.05 billion is underway to improve the transport system from Hemayetpur in Savar to Madanpur in Narayanganj at a cost of Tk22,124 crore.
Through this bridge, which is an important part of the Asian Highway, the transport going to Benapole Land Port can travel via Padma Bridge via Kalna instead of Daulatdia-Paturia.
