It was reported by Daily Purbadesh in 1971 that a team of survey experts from Japan submitted a feasibility report for the construction of the Dhaka–Faridpur road to the East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). As part of the construction of the road, they suggested building a bridge over the Padma river.After the liberation of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh, announced the construction of a bridge over the river Padma, but due to his death, the project was not implemented.


On 18 September 1998, a project worth Tk. 3,843.50 crore was proposed for the construction of a bridge over the Padma River on the Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga-Khulna Highway with the aim of establishing direct communication between the capital and the south and southwest of the country. At 5 km long and 18.10 m wide, this bridge is considered to be the longest possible bridge in the country. Construction was proposed to begin in July 1999 and be completed in June 2004. The proposed amount of Taka 2,893.50 crore was from foreign sources and Taka 750 crore from local sources.


The foundation stone for Padma Bridge was laid by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 4 July 2001.[15] However, the BNP under the leadership of Khaleda Zia returned to power following the 2001 general election and decided to discontinue the project.


In the 2006-2007 Annual Development Program, the then Government of Bangladesh adopted a plan to build the Padma Multipurpose Bridge.


The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early 2011and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late 2015[18].


After allegations of corruption by some people associated with the project's preparation, the World Bank withdrew its commitment and other donors followed. The Government of Bangladesh then decided to fund the project itself.


China proposed building the bridge on the build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis by investing $2 billion or 70 percent of the project cost. Four companies—China Major Bridge Engineering Company, Daelim-L&T JV and Samsung C&T Corporation—purchased the tender papers. However, only the Chinese company submitted their financial proposal on 24 April 2004.


On 17 June 2014, important progress had been made in the construction of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. A construction firm, China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd, was selected to construct the long aspired bridge on the river Padma. The 6.15 km bridge cost an estimated ৳91.72 billion (US$980 million).


The project was ultimately funded directly by the Bangladesh government, with expenditures coming primarily from the central government budget.


The Padma Multipurpose Bridge (Bengali: পদ্মা বহুমুখী সেতু, romanized: Pôdma Bôhumukhī Setu), commonly known as the Padma Bridge (Bengali: পদ্মা সেতু, romanized: Pôdma Setu), is a two-level road-rail bridge across the Padma River, the main distributary of the Ganges in Bangladesh.It connects Louhajang Upazila of Munshiganj and Zazira Upazila of Shariatpur and a small part of Shibchar Upazila of Madaripur, linking the less developed southwest of the country to the northern and eastern regions. The bridge was inaugurated on 25 June 2022 by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
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