Bangladesh Bridge Authority

autonomous · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head: Mohammad Abdur Rouf
Role: Executive Director (ex officio, as Secretary of Bridges Division)
Annual budget: —
Staff: —
Established: 1985
Legal basis: Bangladesh Bridge Authority Act, 2016 (Act No. 14 of 2016); originally constituted under Bangladesh Bridge Authority Ordinance, 1985 (Ordinance No. XXXVII of 1985) as Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority; renamed Bangladesh Bridge Authority on 19 December 2007.

Operating Padma Bridge profitably (Tk 30+ billion cumulative toll, ~Tk 25 million/day average) while the Karnaphuli Tunnel continues to hemorrhage money with daily revenue covering less than one-third of operating costs; Jamuna Bridge widening contracted to CCCC-CRBC JV (Tk 278 crore, 18 months) using the now-redundant former rail structure.

Recent activity

2026-02-17 other Padma Bridge cumulative toll revenue crossed Tk 30 billion by January 2026 -- 43 months after the June 2022 inauguration -- against a total construction cost of Tk 307.7 billion. Average daily crossing is approximately 22,000 vehicles generating Tk 25 million per day in toll. Korea Expressway Corporation manages toll collection under a five-year Tk 6.93 billion contract; 15% of gross toll is remitted to the government exchequer as VAT. Bridges Division repays the government loan at 1% interest over 35 years via 140 quarterly instalments through FY2056-57. ↗↗
2026-03-01 other Karnaphuli Tunnel continues to operate at severe deficit. From October 2023 to October 2024 a total of 1.41 million vehicles used the tunnel, yielding Tk 3.74 billion in toll revenue against an operating contract payment of Tk 9.84 billion to CCCC for the five-year term (2022-2027). Daily traffic of 3,000-3,900 vehicles is a fraction of the feasibility-study forecast of 28,305 vehicles by 2025; daily toll income of roughly Tk 10 million covers less than one-third of daily operating costs of Tk 2-2.2 million under the contractor arrangement. Contributing factors include incomplete approach roads, absence of the Bay Terminal, and restriction of CNGs and motorcycles. ↗↗↗
2026-05-13 procurement BBA Chief Engineer Kazi Md Ferdous signed a Tk 278 crore agreement with a CCCC-CRBC joint venture (China Communications Construction Company and China Road and Bridge Corporation) to widen the Jamuna (Bangabandhu) Bridge by 3.5 metres. The project will repurpose the abandoned rail-track structure on the original bridge, made redundant after the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Railway Bridge opened in March 2025. Rehabilitation, widening, and capacity enhancement of the 4.8 km bridge deck are to be completed within 18 months. The agreement was signed at BBA offices in Banani, Dhaka. ↗↗↗

Provenance & notes

BBA was established in 1985 as Jamuna Multipurpose Bridge Authority under Ordinance No. XXXVII of 1985; renamed Bangladesh Bridge Authority on 19 December 2007; current legal basis is the Bangladesh Bridge Authority Act, 2016. Headquarters: Setu Bhaban, New Airport Road, Banani, Dhaka 1213. The Bridges Division Secretary serves as BBA Executive Director ex officio -- a structural feature making the same official head of both the line division and its principal autonomous body. Mohammad Abdur Rouf assumed the Bridges Division Secretary role (and thus BBA Executive Director) on 27 February 2025 following promotion from additional secretary. staff_count omitted: publicly available sources give contradictory figures (ZoomInfo lists 36 core staff vs LinkedIn's 501-1,000 range covering broader workforce including project-site personnel); neither figure is primary-source verified. annual_budget_bdt omitted: BBA's budget is embedded within ADP project allocations (Tk 6,505 crore for bridges sector in FY2025-26) rather than disclosed as a standalone operating budget in accessible public sources. Jamuna Bridge widening contract: CCCC is the same Chinese contractor that built the Karnaphuli Tunnel; CRBC is its subsidiary. The 3.5-metre widening repurposes the abandoned rail deck structure. Verification: 2+ primary sources cross-checked for all key claims.

Bangladesh Bridge Authority

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