The construction work of the Padma Bridge may not be complete by the extended deadline of November 2018, according to a recent government monitoring report.
In the report, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning said it 'seems' the project will finish eight months behind even after the deadline extension.
The main construction of the bridge started in November 2014 following many complexities relating to funding and site selections.
The river training and construction of link roads began earlier.
In the first revision, the project was extended up to the end of 2015, and in the second revision, the target to finish the work was set at November 2018 with a total estimated cost of around Tk 288 billion.
The first span between two piers of the bridge was installed on September 30.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister said at the time, saying the 'dream bridge' finally became visible.
Later, IMED visited the project site and finalised a report on its progress on November 20.
The Division's Deputy Director Joynal Molla later sent the report to the Bridges Division, Planning Commission, and Bangladesh Bridge Authority.
According to the report, 48 per cent work to set up the 6.15-kilometre long two-storey bridge for vehicles and trains has ended with around Tk 144 billion.
