The Padma Bridge construction project is coming to an end in grand fashion.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will appear as the chief guest at a striking celebration of the occasion at 4pm on Friday.

She will announce the ending of the bridge project at a civil gathering in Mawa North.

The government faced multiple obstacles during the construction of Bangladesh’s longest bridge, which was eventually completed with only domestic funding.

As many as 1,500 people - including politicians, diplomats, and bureaucrats - have been invited to the gathering. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader will preside over the session. The event was designed to mark a memorable end to the Padma Bridge project, said officials at the road transport and bridges ministry.

The project will save around Tk 15 billion altogether, the road transport and bridges minister said at a briefing a few days ago.

On Jun 30, the term for the Padma Bridge project was completed.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the project in July 2001, after a feasibility study. Detailed design work on the bridge started in 2009. As the rail connectivity facility was added to the bridge, the cost rose to Tk 205.07 billion.

The prime minister inaugurated the construction of the main structure on Dec 12, 2015.

She eventually opened the bridge to traffic on Jun 25, 2022. Although the government allocated Tk 326.05 billion for the bridge, the total eventual cost was Tk 311.05 billion.