MUNSHIGANJ, -The ninth span of the 6.15-kilometre Padma Bridge was installed on the 34th and the 35th pillars at Jajira end in Shariatpur district today.

“The 150-meter long ninth span has been installed on two pillars at Janjira point at 11:00am,” Project Director of Padma Multipurpose Bridge M Shafiqul Islam told BSS here.

He said with the installation of the ninth span at Janjira point, 1,350 meters of the main structure of the mega bridge has become visible.

A total of 41 spans will be installed on 42 concrete pillars to complete the bridge. The overall progress of Padma Bridge reached over 63 percent while over 73 percent work of the main bridge has been done so far.

According to experts, the national economy is expected to witness an additional 1.2 percent GDP growth rate, while 0.84 percent poverty will be reduced every year after completion of the bridge to be built with an estimated cost of Taka 30,193.39 crore.

The first span of the Padma Bridge was installed on September 30, 2017. The second span was installed four months later on January 28, 2018 while the third one was placed on March 11, after one and a half months.