Bridge collapse severs vital Faridpur route

People of at least 20 villages in Faridpur Sadar and Madhukhali upazilas have been facing immense sufferings as a bailey bridge over the Kumar river in Chandpur area collapsed partially recently.
The 100-foot-long and 12-foot-wide bridge, built by the Local Government Engineering Department around 35 years ago, connects the two upazilas.
A part of the bridge’s deck and railings collapsed around two weeks ago, said locals.
LGED has closed the bridge with bamboo poles on both ends and flagged it as unfit for use following the incident.
Even though vehicular movement has stopped on the bridge, people are still using it amid risk for lack of alternatives.
There are at least 15 educational institutions including primary and high schools on both ends of the bridge, alongside other establishments.
Tipu Sultan, a local resident, said a 10-wheeler truck was moving on the bridge late at night a couple of weeks back, causing it to collapse partially and damaging its railings and pavements.
Rasel Mia, a student of Kadirdi College, said they have to travel around 10 kilometres more if they do not use the bridge for commute.
Debashish Bagchi, engineer of LGED in Faridpur Sadar upazila, said higher authorities have been informed in this regard.
“Officials from the design unit visited the bridge recently. We hope to open the bridge for all soon after renovations,” he added.