Order Received for Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project
- Increasing the Transport Capacity of the Main Road Connecting the Capital Dhaka and the Second City of Chittagong -

- November 25, 2015 -

Obayashi Corporation
Shimizu Corporation
JFE Engineering Corporation
IHI Infrastructure Systems Co., Ltd.

A joint venture between Obayashi Corporation (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Toru Shiraishi), Shimizu Corporation (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Chairman of the Board and Representative Director: Yoichi Miyamoto), JFE Engineering Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Hisanori Kano), and IHI Infrastructure Systems Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture; President: Akira Inoue) today signed a construction contract for approximately 90 billion yen with the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Bangladesh, for the Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project.

This project involves repairing the existing Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti bridges on National Highway No. 1 between the capital Dhaka and the second city Chittagong, and to construct second bridges in parallel with the existing bridges. These three bridges are located on the economic corridor linking the two cities which accounts for 30% of the population and 50% of the GDP of Bangladesh. The increase in traffic volume due to economic development has become an issue. Traffic already exceeds the estimated traffic volume by up to 60%. Adding four lanes to the existing four lanes of the Kanchpur Bridge to make eight lanes and adding four lanes to the existing two lanes of the Meghna Bridge and Gumti Bridge to make six lanes should increase the traffic capacity and improve safety performance, including measures to prevent scouring of bridge piers and earthquake countermeasures. This project is Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan project aimed at contributing to the revitalization of the entire Bangladesh economy.

The existing three bridges were constructed between the 1970s and the 1990s by Obayashi Corporation using a World Bank loan (Kanchpur Bridge) and grant aid from Japan (Meghna Bridge and Gumti Bridge). Shimizu Corporation has also acquired an extensive construction record over 50 years in Bangladesh, including the Shah Amanat International Airport Development Project and the Rupsha Bridge Construction Project. In addition, JFE Engineering and IHI Infrastructure Systems are constructing rail-freight bridges between Delhi and Mumbai in neighboring India. The individual companies in the joint venture that won this order were highly regarded for their extensive construction records in South Asia and other countries around the world.

This project demands many difficult technologies, including steel-pipe sheet-pile well foundations and continuous narrow box girders. Obayashi and Shimizu Corporations are responsible for the substructure, while JFE Engineering and IHI Infrastructure Systems are responsible for the superstructure. Completing the construction according to plan using their accumulated technology and know-how will contribute to the economic development of Bangladesh.

Project name	Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti 2nd Bridges Construction and Existing Bridges Rehabilitation Project
Construction location	Dhaka suburbs, Bangladesh
Ordering party	Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Bangladesh
Designer	Oriental Consultants and seven others
Contract amount	Approximately 90 billion yen
Construction period	48 months (construction scheduled to start in January 2016)
Companies in joint venture	Obayashi Corporation, Shimizu Corporation, JFE Engineering Corporation , IHI Infrastructure Systems Co., Ltd.
Details of construction	· Renovation of existing Kanchpur (396 m), Meghna (930 m), and Gumti (1,410 m) Bridges · Construction of Kanchpur, Meghna, and Gumti 2nd bridges and associated roads · Installing truck scales prevent overloaded vehicles from passing

 
[Planned locations]

 
[Conceptional drawing] Source: Oriental Consultants Co., Ltd.

¦ Kanchpur Bridge (2nd bridge in front)

¦ Meghna Bridge (2nd bridge in front)

¦ Gumti Bridge (2nd bridge in front)