Padma Bridge rakes in nearly Tk 21m in tolls on opening day

Authorities have collected nearly Tk 21 million in tolls as over 51,000 vehicles crossed the Padma Multipurpose Bridge on its first day of operation, bdnews24.com reports.

After the bridge opened to traffic at 6 am on Sunday, around 26,589 vehicles accessed the structure from the Mawa end in the first 18 hours, accounting for Tk 10.9 million of the total revenue, according to Md Abul Hossain, supervising engineer at the Bangladesh Bridge Authority.

Meanwhile, over Tk 10 million in tolls were collected at the Zajira end, from which, 24,727 vehicles ascended the megastructure.

In total, 51,317 vehicles crossed the 6.15km-long bridge on its opening day, adding over Tk 20.9 million in tolls to the state coffers.

"We are thinking of providing the details of the toll collections on our website," said Abul.

The 'dream bridge' was inaugurated by Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina on Saturday. The two-tier bridge establishes direct road links between Dhaka and 21 disadvantaged administrative districts in the southwest.

But the government has banned motorcycles from the Padma Bridge until further notice in the wake of congestion and complete disregard for the rules by people on the newly inaugurated structure.