The measure of: Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Bangladesh

Ushering in a new era for connecting the country of Bangladesh, the nation’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Padma Multipurpose Bridge on 25 June. It is a multipurpose rail-road bridge over the Padma river, the downstream part of the Ganges after it enters Bangladesh territory.

The bridge is the longest in the country and aims to reduce the distance between the capital city of Dhaka to the Mongla seaport, which is important for regional and international trade. The Benapole land port and Payra seaport will also benefit from the construction of the bridge.

They also deemed it as one of the most innovative yet most challenging developmental projects in the country’s history. “The completion of the Padma Bridge is a dream come true for the 170 million people of Bangladesh,” a spokesperson said, stressing that its government entirely funded the megaproject.

“We have eliminated the final major geographic barrier and, more crucially, the backward south-west region in Bangladesh is now linked with the rest of the country,” the government said. “In fact, it has connected 21 districts of Bangladesh’s south-west region with Dhaka and the rest of the country.”

Vital statistics: Padma Multipurpose Bridge

Main bridge length: 6.15km

Width of bridge on upper deck: 22m

Number of spans: 41

Number of pillars spanned across the bridge: 42

Distance between pillars: 150m

Depth of each pilling: 128m

Overall length of approach road: 15.1km (2.3km on Mawa side, 12.8km on Janjira side)

Number of lanes on upper deck: 4, 2 bridge decks (upper is road, lower is rail)

Load limit: 10,000 tonnes

Viaduct (road): 3.15km

Viaduct (rail): 532m

Number of lamp posts: 415

Deck height: 13.6m

Cost of construction: $3.6bn

122nd longest bridge in the world