Second Dharla Bridge opened

File photo of Dharla bridge. Photo: UNB
File photo of Dharla bridge. Photo: UNB

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday opened the second Dharla Bridge in Kurigram district on Sunday.

She inaugurated the bridge, named Sheikh Hasina Dharla Bridge, through a video conference from her official residence Ganobhaban, reports UNB.

The 950-metre long bridge over the Dharla River has connected Phulbari upazila of Kurigram and Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) implemented the bridge project. The construction work on the bridge started in 2014.

Some one million people of Phulbari, Nageshwari and Bhurungamari upazilas of Kurigram district will largely be benefited due to the construction of the bridge as they now can communicate with the Rangpur divisional city in a short time.

The 9.8-metre wide bridge has 19 spans and 2.919 km of approach roads.

The main bridge cost Tk 1.3158 billion, while the approach roads Tk 130.9 million, the 3.5-km river training works Tk 435 million and land acquisition Tk 23.3 million.

The total estimated cost of the bridge project was Tk 2.0685 billion.

At the launching event at Ganobhaban, local government, rural development, and cooperatives minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain delivered the welcome speech, while principal secretary Md Nojibur Rahman conducted it.

Local government division senior secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan made a video presentation.