The Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge - the most expensive and technically one of the most challenging transport infrastructure projects ever accomplished in Bangladesh - is a gateway to economic growth and prosperity for millions.
Dhaka - A dream came true for 130 million Bangladeshis when, on 23 June 1998, the Jamuna Bridge was opened to traffic.
One of the largest rivers in the world, the Jamuna River has historically kept the northwestern part of Bangladesh physically separated from the eastern part, depriving about 30 million people of access to more developed civic and economic facilities. The 4.8-kilometer-long and 18.5-meter-wide bridge - with provisions for a power interconnector, gas pipeline, railway, and telecommunication facilities - has opened immense opportunities for economic development for the entire country.
The western half of Bangladesh, which has fertile agricultural land and better crop yields than the rest of the country, is dependent on agriculture to drive its economy. A higher proportion of poor people live in the western half; particularly in the northwest, which has a population of about 30 million. More developed eastern Bangladesh - where Dhaka and the Chittagong port are located - is a key market for northwest Bangladesh's agricultural products and a key intermodal transport link between the country and the rest of the world.
The Jamuna Bridge is particularly important as the first permanent link between the less-developed northwest and the more developed east. Originally, the Jamuna River was crossable mainly by ferries and manually operated boats. The ferries, that carried cars, trucks, and train passengers were outdated, costly, and unreliable. This led to frequent and extensive delays at ferry crossings, resulting in high transport costs to move passengers and freight. The May-October monsoon season posed particular risks to cross-river transport. Floods are frequent and boats are overloaded, which is a dangerous combination that leads to deadly accidents.
Although the Government had for sometime highly prioritized establishing a permanent crossing for the river, it had not built a bridge, mainly because of the high costs related to the width of the river, its flow volume, depth, uncertainty of its course, and other technical issues.
In 1994, a project to build the longest bridge in South Asia and 11th longest in the world began, with financing from ADB, World Bank, and Japan Bank for International Cooperation, together with the Government of Bangladesh.
Large Undertaking
The $754-million Jamuna Bridge was the most expensive and technically one of the most challenging transport infrastructure projects ever accomplished in Bangladesh. The project was a large undertaking that involved training the Jamuna River on both sides, mobilizing a huge amount of other resources, resettling about 100,000 people, and compensating families affected by erosion in the project impact area.
The project was completed on schedule, showing the Government's strong commitment and its capability to implement large and complex projects with multiple stakeholders. Traffic on the project bridge is higher than anticipated, indicating the attainment of benefits beyond the expectation at the time of project appraisal.
As an integral part of the project, ADB also financed complementary follow-on investment projects to expand the road network on the east side of the Jamuna River and connect the separate rail networks on either side of the river. ADB provided $200 million for the bridge and an additional $182 million for improving access road and railway links.
Visible Impacts
"The Jamuna Bridge has substantially reduced poverty, and increased economic and social opportunities," said Hua Du, Country Director of ADB's Bangladesh Resident Mission. "These benefits are generated both nationally, and especially within the poorer northwest region. At the national level, it is estimated that at least one million people will be lifted out of poverty due to the positive impact of the Bridge."
The impact of the project on poverty reduction is visible through increased economic development. The Jamuna Bridge slashed transport costs on goods entering and leaving the northwest, and it sharply boosted trade flows. It lowered transport costs, causing regional exports of goods and migration of labor to increase.
With continued economic growth in Bangladesh and growing road and rail links to neighbors such as India, cross-Jamuna traffic is expected to increase further, bring economic benefits, and make subregional cooperation easier and more attractive.