Bridge That Sinks During High Tide
Bridge That Sinks During High Tide
People wade through the flooded floor of the bridge across Shoula canal on Patuakhali-Dashmina road as the caved in bridge goes under water during high tide every day.Photo: STAR
Plying of vehicles on Patuakhali-Dashmina via Baufal road remains suspended for several hours daily as the floor of a caved in bridge across Shoula canal goes under water during high tide. During cyclone Aila that hit the coast region including Patuakhali on May 25 last year the bridge over Soula canal subsided about seven feet from the adjoining road level, making it risky for plying of vehicles. Vehicles on both sides have to wait for long during high tide as the bridge remains under water for five or six hours in a day. During low tide vehicles cross the bridge cautiously to avoid danger. To ease communication to Dashmina and Baufal upazilas from district headquarters, Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED) built the bypass that reduces about 40 km road distance between Patuakhali and Dashmina and at least 30 km between Patuakhali and Baufal upazila. "Vehicles cannot ply the road smoothly as the subsided bridge is flooded during high tide. The bridge is yet to be rebuilt despite our appeal to higher authority several times," said Golam Maula Dulu, secretary of Patuakhali Bus Owners Association. When contacted, LGED Executive Engineer SM Abdus Salam, said, "On March 2, the ECNEC approved a Tk 1.80 crore project to rebuild the bridge. We hope to start work for rebuilding the 60-metre-long and 5.50-metre-long wide bridge very soon."
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