Bridge Buzz Busted: No Relocation of Lalon Shah Bridge, Six-Lane Plan Advances
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has confirmed that viral claims on social media about relocating the Lalon Shah Bridge due to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant are false.
Terming the report a rumor, the ministry stated that not only is the Lalon Shah Bridge not being moved, but new projects are being undertaken to improve connectivity in the surrounding area.
According to the Roads and Highways Department, the Lalon Shah Bridge will remain in its current location. The claim that the bridge is being relocated is baseless, and no such decision has been taken. However, there are plans to upgrade the adjacent road near Rooppur into a six-lane highway. A long six-lane road will be constructed from Jhenaidah through Rooppur–Ishwardi–Natore–Bonpara to Hatikumrul in Sirajganj.
However, the road construction project is still at a very preliminary stage. The cost of the project and its financing have not yet been finalized.
The RHD stated that the Lalon Shah Bridge is 1.8 kilometers long and 18.10 meters wide. It was constructed by China’s Major Bridge Engineering Bureau and consists of 17 spans. The bridge was inaugurated for vehicular movement on May 18, 2004, by former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. It is a four-lane bridge, with its eastern side located in Pakshi, Ishwardi, Pabna, and its western side in Bheramara, Kushtia. The bridge has significantly improved connectivity for residents of Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, and Jhenaidah districts. The six-lane connectivity project will link Jhenaidah with Dhaka while retaining the bridge in its current position.
DBTech/BBS/EK/OR
