Traffic movement has remained suspended for the past nine months after a 45-year-old bridge collapsed in Kumrabaria and Maharajpur areas under Sadar upazila of Jhenaidah, causing severe public suffering.
Although the bridge collapsed around nine months ago reconstruction work has yet to begin, said locals.
Local people have have built a temporary bamboo footbridge at their own initiative which has now become risky for use.
Local Union Parishad Chairman Khurshid Alami Mia said the road connecting Kumrabaria and Maharajpur unions locally known as Bishoykhali GC–Nagarbathaan GC via Defolbari road was constructed about 45 years ago.
The bridge over a canal under the Ganges-Kobadak (GK) irrigation project was built by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in the Bhabanipur-Defolbari area.Kumrabaria Union Parishad Chairman Sirajul Islam said the bridge collapsed in 2025 due to heavy rainfall and strong water currents.
“Despite repeated appeals by local representatives to the authorities concerned, no reconstruction work has been undertaken so far, increasing the sufferings of commuters, transport operators and goods carriers.”
A recent visit to the area found that the bridge deck has collapsed and now lies in the middle of the canal.
A makeshift bamboo footbridge has been installed in its place by local residents but it has already become shaky and unsafe, halting movement of auto-rickshaws, vans and motorcycles.
Local resident Rahat Hossain said, “The bridge collapsed nine months ago. We informed various authorities multiple times but no solution has been provided. No one can say when the bridge will be rebuilt. All types of vehicles have stopped using this road.”
School student Sumaiya Khatun said they used to cross the bridge daily to attend school. “After it collapsed last year a bamboo bridge was built. Now it is also on the verge of collapse. It feels very risky to cross it, especially with a bicycle. If it breaks down, going to school will become even more difficult,” she added.
Truck driver Alfaz Ali said they used the bridge to transport goods between markets in Kumrabaria and Maharajpur unions. “Since the bridge collapsed, movement on this road has stopped, causing immense suffering to transport workers,” he said.
Sadar Upazila Executive Engineer Md Abul Kalam Azad said the road is an important link between the two unions and previously had two bridges both of which were very old.
“One of the bridges has already been reconstructed. For the collapsed one, we have sent two separate project proposals to the authorities concerned. We hope the project will be approved soon after which construction work will begin,” he added.