Second Teesta Bridge: A costly shortcut that heavy vehicles cannot take

A Tk 123.86 crore bridge built over the Teesta River to improve connectivity between Rangpur and Lalmonirhat, including the Burimari land port, is failing to deliver its intended benefits as heavy vehicles remain barred from using it.

Trucks carrying goods from Burimari are now taking a detour of nearly 50 kilometres through Lalmonirhat town before reaching Rangpur, adding to transport costs, fuel consumption and travel time, traders and transport operators .

The 850-metre-long bridge, known as the Second Teesta Bridge, connects Kakinia in Lalmonirhat’s Kaliganj upazila with Mahipur in Rangpur’s Gangachara.

Another Tk 28 crore was spent on an 11-kilometre regional highway linking Burirhat in Rangpur city with Sirajul Bazar in Shankardaha, Gangachara upazila.

The bridge was intended to provide a direct route between Rangpur and the four Lalmonirhat upazilas of Patgram, Hatibandha, Kaliganj and Aditmari, as well as the Burimari land port.

Construction of the bridge began in 2012 and it was opened on September 16, 2018, according to the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED).

However, heavy vehicles were kept off the bridge for the first four years because of the poor condition of the connecting roads.

On January 11, 2022, the bridge was finally opened to all types of vehicles but the move proved short-lived.

Within a year, sections of the connecting road began to deteriorate, prompting local students and members of a three-wheeler owners’ association to launch protests demanding a ban on heavy vehicles.

Following the protests, the divisional commissioner ordered restrictions on heavy vehicles.

On September 9, 2024, metal barriers were installed at the northern end of the bridge, preventing buses and trucks from using the route.

At the time, authorities said the barriers would remain until the regional highway was made suitable for heavy traffic, warning that continued movement of loaded trucks could cause the road to collapse further.

Nearly two years later, the restriction remains in place.

During a recent visit, this correspondent found an iron-pipe barrier placed across the connecting road at Rudreshwar in Kakina Union of Kaliganj. Buses and trucks cannot pass through the barrier, while pickup vans, private cars and microbuses can use the road with difficulty.

According to the LGED Rangpur office, construction of the 11-km regional highway from Burirhat to Sirajul Bazar began in November 2023 at a cost of around Tk 28 crore and was completed in March 2024.

The paved section is 18 feet wide, with an additional six feet of brick paving and six feet of soil shoulders on both sides.

Heavy trucks carrying imported goods, including stones from India, and passenger buses started using the road after its construction.

But heavy traffic was later suspended following complaints that the brick and soil shoulders on both sides had started collapsing.

Importers and leaders of truck and tanker-lorry workers said cargo trucks now have to travel through Lalmonirhat town, adding around 50 kilometres to the journey.

The distance between Rangpur and Burimari is around 140 kilometres via Lalmonirhat town, while it would be about 90 kilometres if vehicles could use the Second Teesta Bridge.

Businesspeople said transporting goods from Burimari to Rangpur currently costs Tk 17,000-18,000 per truck. Using the Second Teesta Bridge would reduce the cost to around Tk 9,000-10,000, while drivers and workers would also save nearly two hours.

Truck driver Sakib said the road closure had increased their difficulties and urged the authorities to reopen it considering the interests of all concerned.

Raj Mahmud, a businessman from Rangpur's Checkpost area, said the bridge had been built at a huge cost but was not benefiting businesses.

“Higher transportation costs ultimately affect ordinary consumers. Heavy vehicles should be allowed to use the bridge as soon as possible,” he said.

Mohammad Hafizur Rahman Hafiz, president of the Rangpur District Truck, Tank-Lorry and Covered-Van Workers' Union, said transport workers expected the Mahipur bridge to reduce their hardships.

“Is the bridge only for pedestrians, vans, auto-rickshaws and three-wheelers? No one has clearly explained why heavy vehicles have been kept off the bridge,” he said, urging its immediate reopening in the public interest.

However, Abdus Sattar, president of the Kaliganj Upazila Three-Wheeler Owners' Association in Lalmonirhat, said around 400-500 low-income people earn their livelihoods by operating three-wheelers on the Hatibandha-Rangpur route.

He said the vehicles use the alternative route because three-wheelers are prohibited on highways.

“When buses and trucks were previously allowed to use the road, it became damaged and severe traffic congestion developed,” he said, adding that they would have no objection to heavy vehicles if the road were widened and strengthened.

He said allowing heavy vehicles on the damaged road could cause serious difficulties for thousands of patients travelling through the area.

LGED Lalmonirhat Executive Engineer Md Kawsar Alam said heavy vehicles have been barred from the bridge following a decision by the divisional commissioner after protests.

“There is no problem with the main structure of the bridge or road,” he said.

Source: UNB