Bus toll on Padma bridge is 2400 rupees, truck toll is 2600 rupees

Traveling through the Padma Bridge to the south and southwest of the country will be easier and time will be reduced. However, the country's longest bridge will have to cross a large amount of toll. According to the toll rate fixed by the bridge department, the cost of crossing the Padma river by ferry at present is one and a half times more than the average cost of crossing the bridge. And compared to the toll of the second longest Bangabandhu Bridge, it will be almost double. If the proposed toll road on the Padma Bridge is implemented, it will cost Tk 2,400 for big buses and Tk 2,600 for medium trucks.

At present, one has to pay 80 to 3,940 rupees for a ferry crossing the river Padma. According to the proposal, the toll on the Padma Bridge will be more than 100 to 6 thousand rupees. The toll for cars and jeeps is 750 rupees (500 rupees for ferries), 2,400 rupees for big buses (1,570 rupees for ferries) and 2,600 rupees for medium trucks (1,650 rupees for ferries).

According to the work plan of the Padma Bridge project, the contractor is expected to complete the construction by June 30. The bridge department has hired a toll collector and a contractor to maintain the bridge. The work was awarded to Korea Express Corporation (KEC) and China Major Bridge Engineering Company (MBEC). Of these, MBEC is currently the main bridge construction and KC is working as a consulting firm. For the next five years, these two organizations will introduce modern methods of toll collection, traffic management at both ends of bridges and bridges, and maintain bridge and river management works. For this they will have to pay 693 crore rupees in five years.

According to bridge department sources, the bridge department has written to KEC and MBEC earlier this month to prepare for toll collection. The government agency said that the government has decided to launch the Padma bridge by June 30. Toll collection may start from July 1. That is how they have to prepare. After receiving the letter, the contractor has already ordered various South Korean companies to buy toll collection software and hardware.
According to the bridge department sources, a committee of the bridge department had made the proposal of Tolhar for the Padma bridge six months ago. The bridge department will issue a notification only after getting the approval of the Prime Minister. The toll that has been set in the draft is unlikely to be reduced. The policy makers of the government think that the Prime Minister will approve it.