The Padma Bridge has raked in more than Tk 780 million in July surpassing the tolls earned by Bangabandhu Bridge, the second largest bridge in the country, in the same period.
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority said as many as 587,020 vehicles travelled across the Padma Bridge from Jul 1-31 paying Tk 785,019,400 in tolls.
In comparison, a total of 780,101 vehicles traversed the Jamuna Bridge in July and paid Tk 664,211,950 in tolls, reports bdnews24.com.
Quazi Mohammad Ferdous, chief engineer of the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, said: “The toll rate of Padma Bridge is higher than that of Bangabandhu Bridge. So, the total toll for Padma Bridge was higher. Many motorcycles passed over the Bangabandhu Bridge, so the number of vehicles was more there.”
According to the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, as many as 294,612 vehicles from the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge generated tolls of almost Tk 404 million while 292,408 cars from the Zajira end paid almost Tk 380 million in July.
Since opened to public on Jun 26, the megastructure connecting Dhaka to the southwestern districts brought in over Tk 923 million in tolls until Aug 2. It earned almost Tk 21 million on the first day.
The highest toll on the bridge was recorded at almost Tk 41 million on Jul 8.