Completion of construction of the second Dharla Bridge over the Dharla River in Kurigram has been delayed by one year due to floods.

The construction started on April 24 in 2014 scheduled to be completed by June 24 this year.

Simplex-Navana JV (joint venture) of Dhaka is constructing the bridge while Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives is implementing it. 

The bridge over the river on Nageswari-Kashipur-Phulbari-Kulaghat-Lalmonirhat road at Kabir Mamud village in Phulbari upazila would cost Tk 191.76 crore.

It would develop communication and socio-economic state of the people of 30 unions and one municipality under three upazilas, hoped LGED Senior Assistant Engineer Md Sharifuzzaman. 

Sharifuzzaman said the 950-metre-long bridge is 9.8 metres wide and has 19 girders. About 40 percent of the work has already been completed while construction of girders, slabs and approach roads and river training is going on, he said. The approach roads from the bridge stretch 2.2 kilometres to Lalmonirhat and 0.84 kilometres to Phulbari," he added. 

Simplex-Navana JV Project Manager Makbul Hossain said they had to suspend construction work several times due to floods that lasted more than two weeks this year. He said they could not finish the construction by the schedule time.

LGED Executive Engineer Ruhul Amin said they have already completed the work under water. The officials of the ministry, the bridge implementing institution LGED and Simplex-Navana JV have now jointly decided to complete the work by June 30 next year, he said, adding that a letter has been sent to the ministry concerned seeking extension of time.