But it is the economic impact of the Padma bridge that is of most long-term interest. By the standards of many major engineering projects around the world, the Padma multi-purpose bridge is not exceptionally expensive and seems good value. Crossrail, a regional railway expansion approved in 2005 has seen its budget balloon by 5 billion pounds to over 19 billion pounds at present, with its final completion date still unclear. Meanwhile the UK’s HS2 national railway project which officially began construction this September has seen cost estimates rise from 56 billion pounds in 2015 to what its spin doctors prefer to describe as “88 billion pounds in 2015 prices,” with over 12 years of construction and inflation still left to go. By 2050, Bangladesh will have around 220 million people to sustainably feed, educate, and nurture, in the face of climate change.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 05, 2020 20:03 UTC