BenarNews
The roadway portion of the massive China-backed Padma Bridge, which links Dhaka with southern Bangladesh, has been delayed another year because of coronavirus-linked labor shortages and will not open until June 2023, Bangladesh government officials said Wednesday.
The delay is the latest for the 6-km (3.7-mile) dual-purpose span – Bangladesh’s largest-ever infrastructure project, which began in 2015. After crews placed the final span on the vehicular section of the double-decker bridge in December, officials said that portion was expected to open next year, followed by the rail portion in 2024.
“We had a plan that the prime minister would open the bridge for traffic in June 2022 and had hoped the road portion would be fully complete,” said Mohammed Belayet Hossain, secretary for the Bridges division under the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges. “But we need one more year before its inauguration.
THE termination of the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore high-speed rail (HSR) project is a setback for the property developments that had hoped to tap the potential of the mega transport endeavour.
While there has been talk of having a domestic HSR from KL to Johor Baru, there is no certainty as to whether it will materialise in the near term. Thus, the gestation period for Bandar Malaysia the HSR terminus in KL and Vision Valley 2.0 projects could take longer than planned.
However, a corporate observer familiar with the Bandar Malaysia development is unfazed by the possible delay as a result of the termination. “This project is not going to happen in five years. So, what is the difference if it is extended by another five years? After all it is a 20- to 30-year project,” she tells The Edge.