| b | On the spot Te enehee emcee ea eee Bridge of size Six-kilometre Padma crossing engineered to take on monsoons and earthquakes Oe eee ay hi) Cen PUD er es Ragu sco i Lt) BUC Gr Ur10 onthespot wamaonthospotbangladesh.com Padma River Bridge @ Location @ Navigation clearance ‘in vercalnavgatn csnce - | ans ee esti tonnage Tina orzanalnangiion clean Veranda yasmewe @ Main bridge colison model ‘ engines “a1 spansof 150 metres each @ Social impact Land ep. sitteTNoecle #1550 sox orn Sebamed 220 og opt tenes tes Sucre ACD Pad Maparese ge Pret Cover story Bridge of size The biggest project ever funded by Bangladesh could also become one of the most significant in its history. The mon- soon-defying 6.2km Padma Bridge will unite 21 districts of the southwest with the capital, Dhaka, bringing unparal- leled economic benefits to that region, worth up the three | percentage points of GDP. |wrwrwaonthespotbanglaesh.com lonthespot 11 @ voverdeck zeman aie Fourlanes of Sismewes ~ een aes ‘decks ~ @ Lower deck Clearance tor ‘double stack “entiners a @ Briefs voting stock ‘opens DATE BRICGE LIFESPAN December 2018 (pected) 100yeus nt preison for fare elected @ vitilities Srgk tack bres gage aay ine {Gar traimision ine 750m conrracror ‘6x 1S0mm comrucs ut fe Main bridge ~ Chins Man ide Egineering Co. oreoptceratelephore bes River training Idhn)- sino Carpeation ed chi Jana approach rad and selected bridge end facies ~ AML HCM IV ‘Maw approach road and slated ridge endfciesAINLCM IV uilding a 6.2km bridge over the Padma, fone of the world’s widest eivers, in an area that sees two monsoon seasons a year and is subjece to sizeable seismic activity, is a tescof resolve as much a itis of innovative science and technology: For the government, rescuing. 21 jnolated districts in the southwest from the economic privations imposed by isolation in the hostile climate was a shoo-in, Its response to delays threatened by problematic calks over external funding was decisive: ‘We'll pay fr i ourselves For the design team, producing a bridge to last for at least a century in the monsoon and carthquake-prone Journey takes atleast two anda half hours, not count: dng unpredicable wating times at terminal that lack basic service facies. A bridge wil reduce the journey co several minutes Every second, around 140,000 cubic metres of water flows chrough the project area, By volume, 20 seconds at thar ate is enough to mect a day's drinking water demand for the whole of Dhaka cy. Duting the mon Soon seasons, the Padma River becomes fas flowing, dnd ies swifly moving water can scoop out sour hole, demanding deep, pled foundations, These are being Costs have | driven into the rhesbed atan angle to Increase cheit ‘Costs have | ily and ep mist he efecto sour while seme environment is more than a challenge. It's an oppor | MtCreaSed | jsolarion between the deck girder and the piers permis ‘unity to make history and rewrite the manuals. Robin partly bridge movements in the ease ofan earthquake. As Sham ‘Sham, global long-span and specialty bridge director | because of | describes it, “the dramatically changing nature ofthe river of design consultaneAECOM, aso appreciates what | charging | _ duringthe monsoon season accelerates the flow rate and ‘ass major luctutions in everbed level, threatening 0 VAT, but that | Undermine the bridze foundations.” Apart from detailed will return | _eatson the size, number and typeof piles needed forthe tothe gov- | _ bridge’ safery and longevity extensive work will be done ‘successful project means ro the people eserves, "Never in a single campaign have I been so convinced of the projects significance to the people and the nation in- volved,” he said. ernment” | sontol the patho the rive’ lo. Piles driven in at an angle to resist earthquakes (OF chee inreravionally-acepeed bridge building codes, ‘The eworlevel structure will carry four lanes of road | Shafqulistam | British standard BS5400 was chosen because the heavily traffic on top and a rail crack below, aswell ashigh-pres- | PPSSI*C’ | loaded reucks in Bangladesh closely matched the load par sure gas mains and communications cables, Acpresent, | ehpurpose | terns predicted within che British standards said Sham passengers and freight cross the iver on fery services | Sige Projet | Freight tains crossing che bridge will connect to Indian that are frequently cancelled because of fog, floods or national rallays aed, as pat of a dedicated freight cor other bad weather. Even when chey are running, the ridor, can cary alead of 32.5 tonnes peraxle.12 Onthespot “The seismic loading and design were determined accord- ing toa combination of Japanese and American codes and pare of the hazard assessment was cai out by che Bangladesh University of Engincering and Technology “The road has a design traffic speed of 100 km/h. Each carriageway has owo 35-merre lanes with a 2.5-mete Shoulder and s half metre shoulder adjacent 0 the median, On the evel belowsa single-track broad gauge railway, potentially with electrification, will allow 160 lem/h speeds for passenger tains and 125 kin/h for freight cans. The clearance will allow for wide rolling stock and double-stack coneaines. Walkways on each side ofthe railway are to facilitate inspection ané main tenance, as wellas provide emergency evacuation routes Like the designer AECOM, the contractors have im pressive rack roords with bridges. China Main Bridge Engineering Company constructed the 36km Hangzhou Bay Bridge the longest scacrssing bridge in the word, spanning the Hangehou Bay on dhe Fast China Seaand Crossing the Quntang Rivera the Yangtze River Dee (Of many other considerations on AECOMs list of criteria was a study ofthe vessels using the river. Size fof vessel on the river is determined bya least available Arateof 3.6 meus. Clearance has been designed as 18.3 metres above the water level, well above the current tallest of 16.8 mete, to allow for any future rise due to climate change. Economic dividend forthe egion “The economic and social benefits of the bridge are limmense, The Imernational Monctary Fund (IMF) caleulates chat it will add 1.3 percentage points to na- ‘ional GDP. The lca effect onthe southwest could be 4.GDP boost of ewicethac amount. With the region's ‘onnection ime to Dhaka slashed, Farmers can conte Bonustor supers Local indus in sohedin sunring ‘Reshsand coment cain business worth Sear 6245 milion ‘suingeonstve Aion cording to ‘heinsttuton ot Providing they srenoteancaliad ‘besuseof bad este fers tnketwo-one-s hall ourstocrorthe Mer Thebridge resucesthstos wwrmanthespotbangladesh.com dency send produce to the capital instead of secing ic tot because weather conditions prevent a iver crossing. Industrials enthusiasm co build factories in heaven has reportedly already pushed the price of suitable land Up by nearly a third from Tk100,000 (81,277) for one bigha (a Bangladeshi unie representing 1,338 square ‘mecres) to TK250,000 ($3,193). There are in addition preliminary ideas for developing tourism. During the Construction period, material sourcing could boost the local stel, cement, stone and sand industries by at Teast $245 million, according to Shamim Z Bosunia, president of the Insicution of Engineers, Bangladesh. ‘The cose of the project, now estimated a $3.68 billion, rakes it the largest self-financed project ever under taken by Bangladesh. Part of the money will return tothe government in taxes. Contractors’ invoices now include VAT, leading them to increase the amount ‘charged accordingly. Meanwhile, currency deprecis tion since the project was firs costed las also increased the total by 10 pereent, “The biggest benefit will come alongside the smiles on the faces of the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and the bridge designer, Robin Sham, when che ist cruck carrying produce rlls over the bridge towards Dhaka. At a cost of $3.68 billion, it is the largest self-financed project ever undertaken by Bangladesh Soin peri