A bridge in the Bamrail Bazar area under Wazirpur upazila on the Barisal–Dhaka–Barisal Highway has developed cracks in two of its three girders, posing a serious risk to hundreds of vehicles that cross it every day.
The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) has already installed speed breakers on both sides of the bridge and put up warning signboards declaring it a risky structure.
To keep the bridge operational, the RHD has temporarily reinforced it by placing sandbags under the damaged girders.
However, transport workers and locals fear that if the bridge collapses, road connectivity between the southern districts and the capital city, Dhaka, will be completely severed.
They have demanded immediate and permanent repairs to the structure, warning that any delay could lead to a major disaster.
Hundreds of passenger buses, trucks, pickups, motorcycles, and three-wheelers use this crucial concrete bridge every day on one of the busiest highways in the region.
Vehicle drivers said they now cross it in fear of a possible collapse at any moment.
“We are very scared to cross the bridge. It shakes when heavy vehicles pass. We fear something terrible could happen anytime,” said Hafizul Islam, a truck driver who frequently transports goods along the route.
“The bridge shakes whenever a truck crosses. No major repairs have been carried out for years,” said Abid Khan, a local three-wheeler driver.
According to Roads and Highways Department officials, emergency repair work began a week ago, with a 40-member team working to stabilise the structure by placing sandbags under the girders.
Shaheen Khan, deputy assistant engineer at the Roads and Highways Department, acknowledged that the bridge’s condition has worsened due to the growing traffic pressure.
“The Bamrail Bridge is about 25 metres long and 7.3 metres wide. It is around 60 to 70 years old. Since the Padma Bridge was commissioned, traffic pressure on this route has increased manifold, and the old bridge could not withstand the additional load,” he said.
“Every day, about 10,325 vehicles — including overloaded trucks carrying up to 40 tonnes — travel along this route. This has resulted in cracks in the girders,” the RHD official added.
He further said: “We have placed sandbags to prevent the cracks from spreading further. The design proposal for a new bridge has already been submitted to the design department. Once it is approved, we will prepare the estimate and move towards the tender process.”
