Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project

Rendel, in association with BCL Associates Ltd (BCL) of Bangladesh, PADECO Co. Ltd, Japan and Katahira & Engineers International (KEI), Japan was appointed by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) to provide Management Support Consultancy (MSC) Services on the US$ 2.9 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project (PMBP).

Funded by the Government of Bangladesh, PMBP is a two-level, steel truss bridge with a four-lane highway on the upper level and provisions for a single track railway on the lower level. The upper and lower levels act compositely with a reinforced concrete deck slab. The bridge has a total length of 6.15 kilometres and a width of 22 metres at upper deck level. As well as rail and road, the bridge carries utilities including high pressure a gas pipe and telecommunication lines.

It is the largest bridge in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basin, located approximately 40 kilometres south west of Dhaka. It connects the south-western region to the rest of Bangladesh to encourage and facilitate economic growth through the transport of people, goods, natural gas and telecommunications.

In addition to the construction of the bridge itself, there is an elaborate system of associated road constructions including two toll plazas and bridge end facilities, a 13.6 kilometre, four-lane, dual carriageway approach road, culverts, small bridges, underpasses, service roads and service areas for residential accommodation. Complex river bank protection/training works of 14km in length were also constructed. The social and environment impacts were carefully managed via the implementation of a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP).

Rendel provided Management Support Consultancy (MSC) which included project management of the entire scheme including contractual and commercial advice; engineering and technical support and advice; budgetary and financial management; quality control and assurance; advising on dispute settlement; and the implementation of the social safeguard plans (environment, resettlement). 

Rendel also managed several specific supplementary engineering studies. These included re-detailing of the main bridge precast roadway deck slabs to improve the buildability and enhance longevity; and the design and implementation of a dehumidification system through the interior of the 6.15km truss main bridge in association with Ingerop, who modelled the completed assembled truss module using 3-D CFD.

Rendel also completed the original Padma River Crossing Pre-feasibility Study in 2000.