Changjiang Daily's Special Reporter Visits Padma Bridge: A "Dream Bridge"

In Bangladesh, the Padma Bridge has many titles: "Bridge of Dreams", "Bridge of Hope", "Bridge of Vitality".

In Bangladesh, the Padma Bridge has many titles: "Bridge of Dreams", "Bridge of Hope", "Bridge of Vitality"... Behind these titles is the deep longing of the Bangladeshi people for this bridge.

At the end of August, as a special correspondent for Changjiang Daily, I went to Bangladesh to visit the Padma Bridge on site. In two days, I visited the builders of China Railway Bridge Bureau, employees from Bangladesh, and local residents on both sides of the bridge. After more than a year of smooth operation, the story of the Padma Bridge still shook me.

Padma Bridge is one of the important channels connecting China and Southeast Asia's "Trans Asian Railway", and also an important transportation pivot project of the "the Belt and Road" initiative. The opening of the bridge has greatly facilitated the residents on both sides of the Padma River. Panorama of Padma Bridge. (Provided by China Railway Bridge Bureau)

Bangladesh version of 'One Bridge Flying North South'

Drive south from the capital city of Dhaka, and after about an hour and a half, you will be able to see the Padma Bridge. Our car drove at a speed of 80 kilometers per hour and crossed the bridge in just 10 minutes.

The 6 kilometer wide Padma River almost divides Bangladesh into two parts - the northeast region centered around Dhaka is developing rapidly, with towering buildings; The southwest region is impoverished and backward due to river water barriers.

Crossing the river is a life and death challenge for Bangladeshis. Especially during the six month long rainy season, the Padma River flows rapidly with strong winds, making ferries extremely unsafe and causing shipwreck accidents every year.

The locals told me that it takes about 2 hours for a boat to cross the river. But during peak hours, queuing up for boarding can take a day or even longer.

During the construction of the bridge, local people crossed the river by steam turbine. (Provided by China Railway Bridge Bureau)

On June 25, 2022, the Padma Bridge was officially opened to traffic and was broadcasted nationwide by Bangladesh Television. Xie Xueqiang, Deputy Manager of the Padma Bridge Project of China Railway Bridge Bureau, was also present at the opening ceremony. The opening of the bridge made me as excited as the locals, just like watching my hard raised child finally grow up, "Xie Xueqiang said.

Through the video, I saw some scenes of the opening ceremony. On that day, more than a thousand Bangladeshis walked onto the bridge, cheering and dancing, with many people kneeling and kissing the bridge deck to express their moved feelings.

The story of Wuhan used to be about a bridge flying north and south, and a natural chasm turning into a thoroughfare. On October 15, 1957, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, built by the predecessor of China Railway Bridge Bureau, the Bridge Engineering Bureau of the Ministry of Railways, was officially opened to traffic. A large number of people from Wuhan rushed to the bridge to celebrate this grand occasion.

The Padma Bridge is the 'Dream Bridge' in the minds of Bangladeshi people. This dream is very simple, it is to cross the Padma River that spans thousands of years. As a participant and witness of the bridge construction, Xie Xueqiang has a sense of achievement when the bridge is opened to traffic. He said that it can help the Bangladeshi people realize their dreams, "which is the pride of Chinese builders and the most direct embodiment of the the Belt and Road initiative to benefit the people of the world".

On the day the bridge was opened, locals gathered to celebrate. (Provided by China Railway Bridge Bureau)

The Padma Bridge is known as the "Bridge of Prosperity" in Bangladesh because of the story: in 2012, during the early stages of the bridge's construction, the World Bank, which had originally planned to provide loans to Bangladesh, refused the loan for various reasons. The bridge construction fund of $1.549 billion is an astronomical figure, and in 2012, the per capita GDP of Bangladesh was still less than $900. In order to build the Padma Bridge in one go, the Bangladeshi government has decided to use its own funds for the construction of the bridge.

The Padma Bridge was created by the Bangladeshi people with one Taka (Bangladeshi currency) and one Taka, and we are well aware of their desire for the bridge, "Xie Xueqiang said.

Xie Xueqiang gave a detailed explanation. Every year, he takes a plane from Dhaka to China, and airport staff hear that he is the builder of the Padma Bridge, offering various conveniences and repeatedly thanking him.

The process of building a bridge is like 'inserting steel bars into tofu'

Why does it take 8 years to build the Padma Bridge from 2014 to 2022?

With doubts in mind, I walked into the Padma Bridge Project Department of China Railway Bridge Bureau. Although the bridge has been open for over a year, there are still dozens of employees here handling follow-up work such as bridge maintenance.

The construction of the Padma Bridge is very difficult. Simply put, it's like inserting steel bars into tofu. "Xie Xueqiang introduced that the Padma River riverbed is full of soft sand and clay, reaching a depth of 150 meters, and its bearing capacity and stability are not up to standard. Building a bridge on such a riverbed is extremely difficult.

Luhua covers the Padma Bridge. (Provided by China Railway Bridge Bureau)

In the interview, I learned that European and American design companies did not take into account the complex geological conditions of the Padma River when making plans, which led to China Railway Bridge Bureau having to modify the design plan while advancing construction during the construction process.

The bridge has 40 underwater piers, with each main pier initially designed to be composed of 6 super "Big Mac" steel piles with a diameter of 3 meters, a length of approximately 120 meters, and a weight of 550 tons, resembling a stool with six legs.

After entering the site, we conducted a detailed construction geological survey on 40 underwater piers of the main bridge and found that the geological conditions of 22 of them were worse than expected, and the original design could not meet the requirements. "Xie Xueqiang introduced that the design of these 22 piers was changed to" 6+1 ", which means adding one straight pile on top of the six inclined pile foundations, and adding external grouting pipes to the steel pipe piles at 11 of them to enhance their bearing capacity. Due to the significant geological differences between each pier location, almost every underwater pier needs to be "customized", and the construction of test piles alone took 4 years.

In order to firmly insert the steel piles into the riverbed, China Railway Bridge Bureau specially purchased 5 state-of-the-art hydraulic pile hammers, with a total of 2.6 million hammer blows. Eventually, 262 steel pipe piles were inserted into place throughout the bridge. This record exceeds the total number of hammer strikes on any bridge in the world.

Aerial photo of Padma Bridge. (Provided by China Railway Bridge Bureau)

Robert J. Aves, the director of the bridge project, said during the opening of the bridge, "This is a great and brilliant achievement of the China Railway Bridge Bureau team

The relevant person in charge of the Bangladesh Bridge Bureau once said, "Bridge builders from China helped us conquer the vast and turbulent Padma River, realizing the dream of national glory. This is another great victory for Bangladesh after half a century of independence

During the bridge construction process, China Railway Bridge Bureau has trained a group of excellent designers for Bangladesh, creating a total of over 50000 job opportunities.

Being able to fully participate in the construction of the Padma Bridge is a supreme honor for me. China Railway Bridge Bureau not only helped us achieve our dream of building the bridge, but also taught many Bangladeshi people the experience and knowledge of engineering projects, "said Rana, a Bangladeshi material tester to me." After the completion of the Padma Bridge, Bangladeshi people have a higher evaluation of Chinese enterprises, and they are truly trustworthy friends

The bridge drives an annual GDP growth of 1.5% in Bangladesh

The Padma Bridge Project Department of China Railway Bridge Bureau is located in a small town called Mawa on the Hebei coast. I see here that people come and go on the streets, with hospitals, shops, pharmacies, and restaurants all available, and the atmosphere of life is full.

The pedestrian flow on both sides of the bridge gathers to form a market. Photographed by Hu Sheng, a special correspondent of Changjiang Daily

The locals told me that ten years ago, this place was sparsely populated. With the construction of the Padma Bridge, more and more people are settling down here and starting their businesses. Nowadays, the population of Mawa Town is nearly 5000.

I walked into a grocery store and before I could speak, the owner took the initiative to greet me in Chinese: "Hello, Chinese friend!" Surprised, I noticed that there were many Chinese products prominently displayed in the store: "Lao Ganma" spicy sauce, instant noodles, ham sausage, and potato chips. During the conversation, it was learned that the store owner was a local from Mawa. Five years ago, he took over the store from his father and took advantage of the business opportunity. He not only doubled the store area in one go, but also specifically purchased a large number of Chinese goods to meet the needs of Chinese personnel in the Padma Bridge project.

When I was about to leave, the shop owner took out his phone and opened WeChat to "show off", saying, "These are all my Chinese friends who often come to me for shopping

Walking in the small town of Mawa, every passerby smiles at me. The accompanying translator told me that the locals feel that the construction of the Padma Bridge by the Chinese has changed their lives, and everyone has a good impression of the Chinese people.

Passing the bridge by car and continuing south about 8 kilometers, there is a market called "Panchar". The local resident who runs a hardware store told me that he often goes to Dhaka to purchase. Before the bridge is opened, it takes five or six hours to go to it smoothly, and when it's not smooth, you have to wait on the shore for a day or two. Nowadays, there are regular buses to Dhaka every day, which can arrive in over an hour and take a round-trip in half a day

Padma Bridge deck driving. Photographed by Hu Sheng, a special correspondent of Changjiang Daily

Just a few days ago, the Bangladesh Railway project, which was jointly constructed by China Railway Bridge Bureau, was put into trial operation and the train rumbled past the Padma Bridge. Next year, the people of Bangladesh will be able to cross the Padma River by train.

The Padma Bridge connects 21 regions in southern Bangladesh and the capital city of Dhaka, connecting the lifeline of development and bringing hope for a better life to tens of millions of people in the southwestern region.

According to official estimates from Bangladesh, the opening of the Padma Bridge can drive an annual GDP growth of approximately 1.5% in Bangladesh, benefiting 80 million people, and reducing the national poverty rate by 0.84 percentage points. In order to commemorate the historic event of the opening of the bridge, the Bank of Bangladesh issued 10 million 100 Taka commemorative banknotes with the theme of the Padma Bridge.

(Special correspondent Wu Miao from Changjiang Daily)

Editor: Wang Rongfei

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