Tk 6,434.3cr toll collected from Bangabandhu Bridge: Minister

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader has said that a toll of Tk 6,434.3 crore has been collected from Bangabandhu Bridge so far.

He said the repayment of the loan taken from the development partners for the construction of the bridge will be completed by 2034.

The minister revealed the information on Sunday while answering a question by Bagura-5 MP Habibur Rahman during the question and answer session at Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday.

“Since the inauguration of the bridge in 1998, a toll of Tk 6,434.3 crore have been collected from it. Tk 4,104.21 crore have been spent during this time for the operation and maintenance of the bridge and the payment of DSL,” he said.

In reply to a question by Jatiya Party MP Shamim Haider Patwary, Obaidul Quader, also the general secretary of Awami League, said, "The construction expenditure of Bangabandhu Bridge was Tk 3,745.60 crore. The money collected from toll is spent for maintenance and payment of the debt to development partners."

"However, as the exchange rates of foreign currencies have more than doubled, we will be able to repay the debt by 2034 according to the amortisation schedules," he added.