DHAKA, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Bangladeshi Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Sunday said the country's largest Padma bridge will open to traffic in June this year.
He made the remarks at a meeting in Dhaka on the progress of the project.
According to the minister, the overall work in the project of building the mega multipurpose road-rail bridge dubbed the "Dream Padma Bridge of Bangladesh" is currently 92 percent completed.
Construction work of the main bridge is 97 percent completed, he said.
According to the minister, installation work of the gas pipeline is 99 percent completed, and the 400 KVA power lines 79 percent completed.
The Padma multipurpose bridge is located about 40 km southwest of Bangladesh's capital Dhaka.
The huge infrastructure project, with the main bridge spanning 6.15 km in length, is undertaken by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group Co, Ltd (MBEC). It is the largest and most challenging infrastructure project in Bangladesh's history.
The bridge standing across the Padma river to link the northeastern and southwestern areas of Bangladesh, is also a key part in an anticipated trans-Asian railway network.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the main construction work of the bridge in December 2015. ■