CA inaugurates much-awaited Kalurghat Bridge

CHATTOGRAM, May 14: The Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus announced the official inauguration of the construction of the much-awaited rail-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River in Kalurghat.

On Wednesday, Yunus unveiled the foundation stone of the bridge in the form of a plaque at the Chattogram Circuit House. With this, the long-awaited rail-cum-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River has officially moved into its implementation phase.

"It's a historic bridge," Prof Yunus said, expressing his satisfaction as the new journey began and it will be implemented in an expedited way.

"I have many memories....this bridge has great historical importance. Today, residents of Boalkhali are also present here. Kalurghat Bridge is their much-desired goal. Once it is completed, many problems of the people of Chattogram will end," said the Chief Adviser.

Road Transport and Bridges Adviser Fauzul Kabir Khan said the people of South Chattogram have long been demanding the construction of a new Kalurghat Bridge over the Karnaphuli River.

With the unveiling of the foundation stone of the bridge, the long-cherished dream of the people of city's outskirt upazilas -Boalkhali, Patiya and South Chattogram including Hill district Banderban and the torurist city Cox's Bazar- is finally materialised.

Liberation War Affairs Adviser Farooq-e-Azam, Education Adviser CR Abrar, Health Adviser Nurjahan Begum, Fisheries and Livestocks Adviser Farida Akhter, Special Envoy Lutfey Siddiqi, Bida Executive Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun, SDGs Affairs Principal Coordinator Lamiya Morshed and Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam were also present.

According to data from Bangladesh Railway, the entire project will span over 11.44 km, with the main bridge over the river extending 700 metres and measuring 31.95 metres in width.

The project also includes 6.2 km of viaducts and 4.5 km of embankments, along with a new railway line. The bridge will have a height clearance of 12.20 metres, allowing large vessels to pass underneath easily. It will also feature a dual-gauge railway line.

After prolonged discussions, a loan agreement for the bridge was signed between the government and South Korea on June 27, 2023. The Development Project Proposal (DPP) was approved on November 17 that year, with the project deadline set for December 31, 2029.

The estimated total cost of the project is Tk 115.61 billion, of which Tk 44.36 billion will come from the government and Tk 71.25 billion will be funded through foreign loans.

Bangladesh Railway will be the implementing agency of the project.

Bangladesh Railway sources said the authorities invited tenders on January 19 for appointment of a Consultant for the project. The last date of submission of tender was March 3.  Later on the date has been extended to March 17. On the last date, a total of eight tenders have been received, railway sources said.

Meanwhile, the evaluations of those tenders have been going on. The authorities hoped that the evaluations would be completed within the next three months.

One of those tenders will be qualified for appointment of a Consultant, sources said.

After qualifying, the authorities asked them to submit Financial and technical offer.

The detailed design of the project is expected to be completed in February in 2026.

Meanwhile, the government has taken the project beside the existing old bridge to ensure smooth and uninterrupted communication system between Chattogram and Cox's Bazar.

Meanwhile, the process for construction of the bridge has been progressed with the signing of a loan agreement with Export-Import Bank of Korea (EXIM) on June 27.

The rail-road bridge over the Karnaphuli River will serve as the sole dual-purpose bridge between Chattogram Port and industrial zone upon completion.

This is expected to significantly reduce logistics costs, revitalize trade, and consequently contribute substantially to Bangladesh's economic growth.

Notably, this project marks the largest-ever (EDCF) supported endeavour and the first instance of combined financing from Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDPF) in Bangladesh.

According to the DPP, the construction of the bridge was supposed to begin from January last which will be concluded on June 2030, Railway sources said.

The demand for the construction of Kalurghat Bridge over the Karnaphuli River has been going on for many years. People used to cross the river over a dilapidated nine-decade-old bridge. Railway sources said, the government has undertaken the project to construct a Bridge across river Karnaphuli at Kalurghat point in order to facilitate the communication with Myanmar through Chattogram-Gundum Railway line.

The ECNEC approved a Tk 11,560.77 crore new rail-cum-road bridge project over the River Karnaphuli at Kalurghat on October 7.
Out of the total project cost of Tk 11,560.77 crore, Tk 4,435.62 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh while the rest of Tk 7,125.15 crore will come from the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) and Economic Development Promotion Facility (EDPF), Korea.