Padma Bridge generates Tk 30 billion in revenue, 43 months after inauguration by Sheikh Hasina

Staff Correspondent

The toll revenue of the Padma Bridge, built with its own funds, has exceeded Tk 3,000 crore in the 43 months since its inauguration under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority has said that toll collection has increased continuously since the bridge was inaugurated on June 25, 2022.

According to the bridge authority, an average of 22,000 vehicles travel across the Padma Bridge every day. The daily toll collection averages 25 million taka. In December 2025 alone, about 82 million taka was collected.

The bridge authority has described the total toll collection exceeding Tk 3,000 crore as an ‘important milestone’.

After the World Bank withdrew funding for the Padma Bridge project, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina decided to implement the project with her own funds. Construction work began in 2014 and the bridge was inaugurated in 2022. During the inauguration, Sheikh Hasina said that the loan taken for the construction of the bridge will be returned to the government in stages with 1 percent interest and that the project cost is likely to be recovered within 18 to 20 years.

However, experts, analyzing the traffic flow since its inauguration, say it could take 15 years to recover the cost of the bridge.

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system is operational at the Mawa and Jajira ends of the bridge. Tolls can be paid without standing using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) cards. This has reduced waiting time at the toll plaza and made crossing the bridge faster.

The government’s finance ministry provides a long-term loan to the bridge authority for the Padma Bridge project, built at a cost of Tk 30,770 crore. This loan will have to be repaid in 140 installments over 35 years. And 15 percent of the toll revenue is deposited in the government treasury as VAT. The remaining money, excluding toll collection, VAT and maintenance costs, is being used to repay the loan installments.

Korea Expressway has been appointed for 5 years at a cost of Tk 693 crore to assist in toll collection. The Bridges Department said that additional costs will also be incurred for major repairs and maintenance of the bridge after a certain period.

Changes in the Southwest in Bridge Construction

The Padma Bridge, built by connecting the Mawa and Jajira ends, has brought a major change in the transportation of people in 21 districts of the southern and southwestern regions. The establishment of road connectivity with the capital has reduced transportation time and accelerated the goods transport sector.

The bridge authority says that this bridge has had a major positive impact on the transportation of agricultural, fishery, and industrial products.

The bridge authority also issued a notice thanking vehicle drivers, owners, workers, law enforcement agencies, and everyone involved in bridge operation and maintenance for achieving the toll collection milestone.