Mawlana Bhashani Bridge. Photo : Collected

DHAKA, Aug 18, 2025 (BSS) – The 1,490-meter-long ‘Mawlana Bhashani Bridge’, constructed over the Teesta River on the Panchpir Bazar–Chilmari Upazila Sadar road under Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha district, is set to open for traffic on Wednesday.

“Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain will inaugurate the bridge on August 20 (Wednesday)”, said a press release here today.
 
The bridge has been built at a cost of Taka 925 crore jointly funded by the government of Bangladesh (GoB), the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID). 

The bridge with 1,490 meters in length and 9.60 meters in width has two lanes and 31 spans. It is designed as a pre-stressed concrete girder bridge.

Officials said the bridge will significantly improve connectivity between Sundarganj upazila in Gaibandha and Chilmari upazila in Kurigram. This enhanced linkage will reduce travel time and costs, fostering industrial and agricultural production as well as the establishment of small and medium enterprises.

Additionally, with better connectivity and a stronger road network across both banks of the river, the region’s education system is expected to expand and improve. 

The project would generate employment opportunities for the local poor in both the short and long term, contributing to socio-economic development and national economic growth.

The bridge would also boost tourism and establish a new transport corridor, reducing the distance between Kurigram district, including Bhurungamari land port, and Dhaka as well as other important destinations in the south by 40–60 kilometers.