Lesson 2/34 min
Other important bridges
Rail bridges
| Bridge | River and place | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Hardinge Bridge | Padma; on the Kushtia–Pabna border | Length 1.8 km (5,894 ft); built 1910-1912; opened by Lord Hardinge in 1915 |
| Bhairab Rail Bridge | Meghna; Bhairabbazar (Kishoreganj) and Ashuganj (Brahmanbaria) | Length 916 m (3,005 ft); second largest single rail bridge in the book |
Watch out: Zubair's GK gives 1914 for the Hardinge Bridge. Historical sources give construction 1910-12 and opening in 1915 (4 March). ‘Hardinge is the longest rail bridge’ was the answer in the 16th BCS, but it is out of date now that the Jamuna rail bridge is in use.
Road and other bridges
| Bridge | River and place | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| Lalon Shah Bridge | Padma; Bheramara (Kushtia) and Paksey (Pabna) | 3rd longest bridge of Bangladesh; 1.8 km; 17 spans |
| Khan Jahan Ali Bridge | Rupsha; Khulna and Bagerhat | Also called Rupsha Bridge; 1.60 km |
| Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge-1 | Feni river; Ramgarh (Khagrachhari) and Sabroom (Tripura) | 1.9 km; opened 9 March 2021 (Narendra Modi); 12 piers (8 in Bangladesh, 4 in India), 11 spans; cost Tk 133 crore |
| Sheikh Hasina Titas Bridge | Titas; Homna and Muradnagar (Cumilla) and Bancharampur (Brahmanbaria) | The country's first Y-shaped bridge; opened 16 September 2018 |
| Paira Bridge | Paira river | ECNEC 8 May 2012; foundation 19 March 2013; work began 24 July 2016; opened 24 October 2021 |
Friendship Bridge-1: more facts
- The first river bridge linking Bangladesh and India (book)
- Built by India's National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation; contractor Tanish Chandra Agarbhag Inpakon Pvt Ltd; financed by India
- Benefit: easier trade from Chattogram port to India's north-east, including Tripura
Paira Bridge: more facts
- Builder: Longjian Road and Bridge Construction (China)
- Length 1,470 m, width 19.76 m; approach road 1,268 m, width 22.80 m
- 4 lanes; 32 spans; 31 piers; 338 piles (52 for the main bridge; 40 are the deepest, 130 m)
- Cost Tk 1,447.24 crore; 82% financed by the Kuwait Fund (KFAED) and the OPEC Fund, the rest by the Government
More bridges (and the river)
| Bridge | River / water body and place |
|---|---|
| Fakir Majnu Shah Bridge | Shitalakshya; Kapasia, Gazipur |
| Keane Bridge | Surma; Sylhet |
| Gabkhan Bridge | Gabkhan; Jhalakathi |
| Shaheed Buddhijibi Bridge (Buriganga Third Bridge) | Buriganga; Mohammadpur, Dhaka |
| Abdur Rab Serniabat Bridge | Kirtankhola; Barishal |
| Haji Shariatullah Bridge | Arial Khan; Madaripur |
| Panam Bridge | Panjiraj canal; Sonargaon, Narayanganj |
| Hanging Bridge | Kaptai Lake; Rangamati |
| Shah Amanat Bridge | Karnaphuli; Chattogram |
| Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge | Dharla; Kurigram–Lalmonirhat |
Watch out: In 2024-25 many structures named after the Sheikh family were renamed. We could not confirm current names for the ‘Sheikh Hasina’ bridges in the book (Titas, Dharla), so the book's names are used here.
Check yourself
Which is the country's first Y-shaped bridge?
At a glance
- 1
Hardinge Bridge (Padma): 1.8 km, built 1910-12, opened 1915; Bhairab Rail Bridge (Meghna): 916 m.
- 2
Lalon Shah Bridge is on the Padma and is the 3rd longest; Khan Jahan Ali Bridge is on the Rupsha (Khulna–Bagerhat).
- 3
Bangladesh-India Friendship Bridge-1: Feni river, 1.9 km, opened 9 March 2021.
- 4
Titas Bridge is the first Y-shaped bridge (16 September 2018); Paira Bridge opened 24 October 2021.
- 5
Shah Amanat Bridge is on the Karnaphuli; Keane Bridge on the Surma; the Hanging Bridge on Kaptai Lake.