AMTALI, BARGUNA, June 15: A newly built bridge over the Gulishakhali Canal in Amtali Upazila of Barguna District remains largely unusable due to the absence of a connecting road on one side, leaving an estimated 35,000 residents of Gulishakhali and Kukua unions in a serious trouble.
The 66-metre-long, 6.77-metre-wide girder bridge, constructed near Amragachhia Bazar to improve connectivity in the region, was completed in mid-2024 at a cost of Tk 6.22 crore. However, the western end of the bridge still lacks an access road, rendering the structure ineffective.
In the absence of proper access, local residents-particularly the elderly and schoolchildren-are forced to cross the canal using a makeshift bamboo ladder. During the monsoon season, the route becomes treacherous, further intensifying their ordeal.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found a rickety bamboo-and-wooden staircase erected at the western approach of the bridge, serving as the only means of crossing. Children and elderly residents were seen risking injury as they climbed the unstable ladder to cross.
Monira Begum, a resident of Amragachhia, said: "I went to the market at Amtali and was terrified while using the ladder to cross the bridge. My legs trembled going up and down."
Another local, Al Amin from Bainbunia, shared: "There's no proper road to the bridge. Climbing it is exhausting and dangerous."
The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) says a conflict between the bridge's elevation and an existing carpeted village road has delayed the construction of the access road.
The road, used by residents of Purbo Khekuani cluster village, lies just five feet from the bridge's base. Officials say building the road at the current elevation would cut off the existing one.
To resolve the issue, LGED has proposed the construction of an underpass and submitted a revised design and budget to the project director. The new plan is still awaiting approval and funding.
The bridge was intended to connect villages at Gulishakhali Union-such as Purbo Khekuani, Dalachhara, Kolagachhia, and Bainbunia-to Amtali town and broader regional centres including Barishal and Dhaka. It also serves as a key link for residents of neighbouring Chawra and Kukua unions.
Until the access road is built, the bridge remains an unused structure, and thousands of residents remain cut off from vital services and markets. Local residents and civil society representatives have called on the government to expedite the project to prevent further public sufferings and ensure the infrastructure investment is not wasted.
Md Idris Mia, LGED engineer for Amtali upazila, said, "The process to construct the access road is underway. Once the revised project is approved, we will call for tenders and begin construction immediately."
Md Kawsar Mia, representing the contractor Messrs Kohinur Enterprise & Tripura JV, said, "We completed the bridge ahead of schedule. The access road was not included in the original contract and will be built under a separate tender."
"We are not against development," said a local teacher. "But incomplete development like this only adds to our pain," he added.
