Bangladesh marks opening of country’s longest bridge

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has celebrated the opening of the country’s longest bridge, which took eight years to build amid setbacks involving political conflict and corruption allegations. The 4-mile bridge spanning the Padma River cost an estimated $3.6 billion and was paid for with domestic funds after the World Bank and other global lending agencies declined to finance the project. The bridge, which will open to the public on Sunday, will slash the distance between the capital Dhaka and Bangladesh’s second largest seaport, Mongla, by 62 miles. Economists say the bridge will increase Bangladesh’s gross domestic product by an additional 1.3% per year. The World Bank withheld funding but in 2017, a Canadian court threw out corruption charges against three executives.