Chaungwa bridge project, connecting Ayeyawady Region and Rakhine State, completed by 45%

The construction of the Chaungwa Bridge, which will connect the Ayeyawady Region and Rakhine State, is now 45 per cent complete, according to the Ministry of Construction. The Department of Bridge, Ministry of Construction, has been implementing this bridge project with 12 specialized engineers from the Bridge Task Force (16) and over 100 workers, for K7,040 million from the Ayeyawady Region Capital Fund.
The Chaungwa Bridge construction project is located on Ngayotekaung-Gawragyi Island road in Ngayotekaung, Ngaputaw Township, Pathein Township, Ayeyawady Region, crossing the Chaungwa River.
As the Department of Highways is implementing the Ngayotekaung- Sinma- Ngwe Saung- Shwe Thaung Yan- Ma Gyi Zin- Kyauk Chon- Gwa Beach Ring Road, the Chaungwa bridge will become a part of the ring road. When the two projects are completed, the roads will be accessible directly to Gawragyi Island in the southern part of Ngayotekaung, according to the Bridge Task Force (16).
The bridge will be a two-lane bridge with a length of 390 metres (1,280 feet), 24 feet of the lanes and more than 3 feet long sidewalks on each side. The bridge will be built in reinforced concrete and the upper body will be built in Girder, RC Girder and RC Slabs.
With K550 million received from the 2019-2020FY, the pillar works on the Ngayotekaung side, cap works, shaft works and cross beam works were completed, and the pillar construction in the mid-water was completed with K 2,106.5 million from the 2020-2021 FY. The works that need to be done on the Gawragyi Island side will be continued in this coming Mini Budget year.
Regarding the bridge and the beach ring road construction, a resident of Ngayotekaung town said, “As we do not have a beach ring road, we have to travel from one place to another by sea and through nearby villages; if this ring road finishes, the transport will be convenient and local people in nearby fishing villages will be able to travel by motorbike and flow of local goods will be easily transported.”
As local people in Ayeyawady Region rely on agriculture and fisheries, by the time the bridge construction is completed, the transportation of the fish, rice, and crops will be convenient and easy, as well as social, economic, health, and education sectors for the residents will be improved.
The Chaungwa Bridge project started on 1 March 2020 and it is expected to be completed at the end of March 2023, according to the Ministry of Construction. —Pwint Thitsar/GNLM