Jamuna Bridge

After the Jamuna Railway Bridge opened in 2025, the railway tracks on the Jamuna Bridge were removed to provide an additional 11 ft (3.4 m) of roadway space on the bridge.

History of construction

The Jamuna River (Brahmaputra), along with the lower stretch of the Padma (Ganges) divides Bangladesh into nearly two equal halves. Until the construction of the Jamuna Bridge, all road and rail communication between the two parts of the country had to rely on time-consuming ferry services that were often disrupted because of navigability problems.

At the invitation of the Bangladesh government, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) conducted a feasibility study in 1973 for the construction of a road-and-rail bridge over the Jamuna River.

After the completion of the JICA study in 1976, it was determined that the Jamuna project would cost $683 million with an economic rate of return (ERR) of only 2.6%. Due to the project being deemed not technically and economically feasible, the government initially abandoned it. However, in 1982, the government revived the project and initiated a new study to explore the feasibility of transporting natural gas to the western regions of the country across the Jamuna. Although an independent gas connector was not deemed economically viable, a study assessing the engineering feasibility and cost of a combined road-and-gas transmission bridge introduced the concept of a multipurpose bridge. The estimated cost for a 12-km long bridge with three road lanes was $420 million. Following the report, the cabinet decided to take immediate steps towards the project.

The Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority (JMBA) was established through an ordinance by the President on 3 July 1985 to oversee the project implementation. To raise domestic resources, another ordinance introduced a Jamuna Bridge surcharge and levy, resulting in the mobilization of Tk. 5.08 billion until its abolition.

In 1986, the phase-I feasibility study identified the site between Sirajganj and Bhuapur (Tangail) as the most suitable location for the bridge. Subsequently, the phase-II feasibility study conducted between 1987 and 1989 confirmed the economic and technical viability of a road-cum-rail-cum-power bridge. The government of Bangladesh finalized funding arrangements for the bridge with IDA, ADB, and OECF of Japan in 1992. Construction contracts were awarded through international bidding in 1993, and the foundation stone of the bridge was laid on 10 April 1994. Physical implementation of the project began on 15 October 1994, with all components except the gas transmission line completed by June 1998. The bridge was officially opened for traffic on 23 June 1998.

Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge was constructed by Hyundai Heavy Industries at a cost of $696 million. However, the whole bridge project costed $1.24 billion for unknown reasons. The cost was shared by IDA, ADB, OECD, and the government of Bangladesh. Of the total, IDA, ADB and OECD supplied $200 million each through a loan with 1% nominal interest, and the remaining $96 million was borne by Bangladesh.

The main bridge is 4.98 kilometres (3.09 mi) long with 49 main spans of approximately 99 metres and two end spans of approximately 65 metres. Connected to the bridge are east and west approach viaducts each with 12 spans of 10 metre length and transition spans of 8 metres. The total width of the bridge deck is 18.5 metres.

The river crossing was designed to carry a dual two-lane carriageway, a dual gauge (broad and metre) railway, a high voltage (230 kV) electrical interconnector, telecommunication cables and a 750 mm diameter high pressure natural gas pipeline. The carriageways are 6.315 metres wide separated by a 0.57 metre width central barrier; the rail track is along the north side of the deck. On the main bridge, electrical interconnector pylons are positioned on brackets cantilevered from the north side of the deck. Telecommunication ducts run through the box girder deck and the gas pipeline is under the south cantilever of the box section. The bridge has been built by Hyundai Engineering and Construction (Korea) as a 'design and build' contract. TY Lin Assoc. of San Francisco carried out the design as a sub-contractor for Hyundai. The approach roads were constructed by Samwhan Corporation (Korea).

Political history

In 1949, Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani first raised the demand for the construction of the Jamuna Bridge at the political level. During the 1954 provincial elections in East Pakistan, the construction of this bridge was included in the 21-point election manifesto of the United Front. On 6 January 1964, Mohammad Saifur Rahman, a member of parliament elected from Rangpur, raised a question in the provincial council asking whether the government had any intention of building a bridge over the Jamuna River. On 11 July 1966, Shamsul Haque, another member of the same council from Rangpur, presented a proposal for the construction of this bridge and it was unanimously accepted. In 1969, a UK-based firm called Freeman Fox and Partners conducted a preliminary feasibility study of the bridge. They recommended the construction of a rail-cum-road bridge near Sirajganj at an estimated cost of US$175 million. This study was preliminary in nature and they recommended conducting a detailed study. On the other hand, in his address to the nation on radio and television on the eve of the general elections in Pakistan in 1970, Awami League leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman mentioned the construction of the Jamuna Bridge as his party's election promise.

After 1971 independence, the Awami League government announced the construction of a bridge over the Jamuna River in 1972 and allocated funds for it in the budget for 1972–73.

Naming

In 1994, then prime minister Khaleda Zia laid foundation stone. After the bridge was inaugurated by then prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 1998, its initial name was Bangabandhu Bridge after Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding leader of Bangladesh. On February 26, 2025, the name of Bangabandhu Bridge was changed to the Jamuna Bridge.