Construction of Bridge over the River Kushiyara at at Raniganj on Pagla-Jagannathpur-Raniganj Auskandi Road (R-241)
The Raniganj Bridge is a mega-structure built over the Kushiyara River at Raniganj. It serves as the vital centerpiece of the Pagla-Jagannathpur-Raniganj-Auskandi Regional Highway (R241).
Fondly dubbed by locals as the “Padma Bridge of Sunamganj,” this engineering marvel fundamentally transformed the socioeconomic landscape of the Sylhet Division by eliminating the centuries-old reliance on slow river ferries.
Technical Profile & Design
- Total Length: 702.32 meters, making it the longest bridge in the Sunamganj district and the wider Sylhet Division.
- Width: 10.25 meters of two-lane carriageway.
- Structural Composition: A high-durability Prestressed Concrete (PC) box girder configuration.
- Spans and Piers: The structure features 15 individual spans supported by 12 major piers across the main channel.
- Approach Roads: Supported by 2.5 kilometers of dedicated approach road links built to manage heavy traffic entering from both flanks.
- Final Financial Cost: Developed by the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) with a total financial footprint of roughly Tk 155 crore (increasing from an initial project baseline of Tk 126 crore due to design adjustments and material variations).
Key Connectivity Benefits
The bridge bridges the historic gap along the R241 regional highway, yielding significant logistics advantages:
- Slashed Commute Distances: It effectively reduces the driving distance between Sunamganj and Dhaka by 55 kilometers. Vehicles no longer have to loop entirely through Sylhet City to cross south.
- Time Savings: Total travel time on the corridor was slashed to around 4 to 5 hours, offering direct entry from the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway (N2) at Auskandi directly into the heart of Sunamganj.
- Economic Boost: The route ensures uninterrupted transit for heavy commercial haulers bringing essential agricultural products, haor basin fish, and stones directly to the capital markets.
Project Timeline
- June 2014: Project design initially sanctioned under the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
- January 2017: The official foundation stone was laid.
- November 7, 2022: Following structural slowdowns brought on by global pandemic supply-chain disruptions, the bridge was officially opened to the public.