At least 712 bridges and culverts under the Roads and Highways Department are in need of immediate repair, according to a report shared by its officials on Monday.
RHD officials said that 1,319 more bridges and culverts needed maintenance in absence of which they would slip into the same condition of those needing immediate repair.
The data was shared at a seminar on 鈥楤angladesh bridges: a roadmap for safety, sustainability and hazard mitigation鈥� organised jointly by the RHD and BUET-Japan Institute of Disaster Prevention and Urban Safety.
The seminar, held at the Council Bhaban on the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology campus, was an initiative of the South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project-2, an undertaking of the Roads and Highways Department.聽
According to a paper presented by RHD additional chief engineer Shishir Kanti Routh, the department currently has 7,741 bridges and 13,751 culverts under it.
The paper states that the department between December 2021 and 2024, had completed the inspection of its bridges and culverts in six zones, namely Rangpur, Cumilla, Chattogram, Sylhet, Khulna and Barishal, through appointing consultants.聽
As per the report, the six zones have 15,437 bridges and culverts under the RHD.聽
The inspection report divided the bridges and culverts in four categories based on their condition, Shishir Kanti said, explaining that A included those in good condition; B included those requiring minimum maintenance; C meant those needing maintenance but not urgently; and D included those in need of immediate maintenance.
The report identifies the highest number of infrastructure, 13,406, bridges and culverts as A category; 1,277 as B; 42 under C; and 712 under D category.
Shishir Kanti also said that in four remaining zones, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rajshahi and Gopalgonj, the inspection was to be completed by end of 2026.
Replying to a question, the officer said that only small to medium sized bridges and culverts were under the C and D categories.
鈥業f the maintenance of the B,C and D category bridges and culverts is delayed, their conditions will slip further down鈥攖he B category infrastructure will slide to C or even to D category,鈥� he added.
Special assistant to the chief adviser Sheikh Moinuddin in his chief guest鈥檚 speech stressed collaboration between the academia and professionals in the research and development field.聽
Nur Yazdani, director of the Next-Gen Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure Lab under the University of Texas, presented the keynote paper.
BUET vice-chancellor Professor ABM Badruzzaman, professor of civil engineering, also director of BUET鈥檚 Accident Research Institute Md Shamsul Hoque, professor of civil engineering and BUET- Japan Institute of Disaster Prevention and Urban Safety director Tanvir Manzur, RHD chief engineer Syed Moinul Hasan, Bangladesh Bridge Authority chief engineer Quazi Mohammad Ferdous, South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation Road Connectivity Project-2 director Md Waliur Rahman and project manager Asik Kadir, among others, attended the seminar.聽聽
