The long-cherished Padma Bridge is likely to be opened for public in the first half of 2022, as the installation of all spans is expected to be completed next month, officials said.

The current deadline of Tk 30,193 crore fast-track project is June 2021.

Once in service, the 6.15km-long bridge will connect the capital with 21 southwestern districts. It is expected to boost the country's gross domestic product by 1.2 percent.

The overall progress of the project was 82 percent, Bridge Division said on November 19. The progress of the main bridge and river training was 91 percent and 75 percent, it added.

Meanwhile, the 38th span of the bridge was installed yesterday, making 4.7 kilometre of the structure visible.

The span linked the first and second pillars of the bridge at Mawa end in Munshiganj around 2:30pm, a correspondent reported from Munshiganj.

The authorities started the process of installing the span seven days ago and removed soil from the middle of the two pillars to make the area useable for a huge crane.

Yesterday, the crane sailed with the span around 9:20am from the construction yard and reached near the pillar within half an hour and completed all works within 2:30pm, project officials said.

"One more span would be installed within this month and the last two would be installed within mid-December," Bridge Division Secretary Belayet Hossain said.

"With the installation of all spans, a major work for the bridge would be completed," he told The Daily Star yesterday. 

Replying to a question, he said, "It would take 12 to 14 months to complete all works. It may be opened [for pubic] in the first half of 2022."

Belayet Hossain said railway stringers and roadway decks are being installed now and some others works including installation of electricity and gas lines have to be completed before opening the bridge for public.

He said the railway stringers, which went into the Padma due to erosion at a yard, has to brought from Luxemburg and this is causing some delay.

The current deadline of the project is June 2021 and they have to take approval for extending it, he added. 

When works of most development projects was suspended due to the pandemic, Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project work continued. But it suffered due to lack of workers -- Chinese and local -- and poor supply of construction materials since January, said officials involved with the project.

The project authority was able to bring back pace after Chinese nationals returned to work in May following the end of the two-month shutdown. But strong currents in the Padma started causing problems, they said.

No span could not be installed in between June 10 and October 11, due to strong currents, officials said.

Besides, at least 192 railway stingers and 220 roadway decks, supposed to be used for construction of the bridge, went into the Padma on July 31 due to erosion at a yard.