Staff Correspondent:

In the three years since the Padma Bridge opened to traffic, a total of Tk 2,500 crore has been collected in tolls as on Thursday, reflecting the project’s significant impact on connectivity and economic activity in southern Bangladesh.

Since its inauguration for vehicular movement on June 26, 2022, uninterrupted traffic has continued on the bridge. In these three years, the authorities have collected a total of Tk 2,504.67 crore in tolls from 1,94,71,692 vehicles crossing the bridge, according to Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) Abu Sayad.

He highlighted the achievement, saying, “For three consecutive years, traffic has moved uninterrupted across the bridge without any hassle. This is a major milestone.”

According to Sayad, in the first year, 5,694,899 vehicles crossed the bridge, generating Tk 798.61 crore in tolls, in the second year, 6,801,374 vehicles contributed Tk 850.44 crore in tolls and in the third year, up to midnight on Thursday (June 25), a total of 6,995,229 vehicles crossed the bridge, generating Tk 861.22 crore in tolls.

In the three years of operation, a total of 19,471,692 vehicles have crossed the Padma Bridge — 9,671,112 vehicles entered from the Mawa end, while 9,800,580 vehicles entered from the Jajira end, indicating 129,468 more vehicles crossed from the Jajira side.

BBA Director (Administration) and Joint Secretary Altaf Hossain Sekh added, “This infrastructure not only benefits people but also generates significant revenue. We are working to make toll collection even more seamless, with plans to introduce an automated system enabling toll payments while in motion.”

Altaf Hossain shared that a record-breaking Tk 5.43 crore in tolls was collected on June 5, when 52,487 vehicles crossed the bridge, the highest toll collection and traffic volume recorded in a single day so far.

Previously, the highest single-day traffic volume was recorded on June 26, 2022, the first day of operation, when 51,316 vehicles used the bridge. The previous highest single-day toll collection occurred on April 9, 2024, ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, amounting to Tk 4.89 crore.