The Asian Development Bank approved a single largest project assistance loan of 615 million US Dollars for Bangladesh to fund the construction of the Multipurpose Padma Bridge. According to a statement of the Bank, the ADB’s board of Directors approved the loan funds for the project which will be the first fixed river crossing bridge across Padma for road traffic, linking the southwest of the country, to northern and eastern regions. The funds being provided by the ADB will only cover 21 percent of the total investment cost of nearly 2.92 billion US dollar project, with other agencies like the World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency and Islamic Development Bank contributing the remaining amount of funds. Sultan H. Rahman, Director General of ADB's South Asia Department said that by providing a vital infrastructure link between the capital city, Dhaka, and the less developed southwest region, the Padma bridge will give Bangladesh’s economy a major boost. The 2.92 billion dollar Padma Bridge project is one of the flagship infrastructure projects being planned by the Bangladesh government. The bridge will provide a permanent transportation link across the Padma connecting Southwest Bangladesh to the rest of the country. Currently passengers and freight are transported over the 5-kilometer wide river on ferries and other smaller vessels, which lack capacity and are frequently suspended during floods, fog and other bad weather conditions. As part of the Padma Bridge project a two-level steel truss bridge over six kilometers long, with a four lane highway to accommodate road vehicles on top will be constructed along with a lower deck having provision for a single track railway to be added in future. Twelve kilometers of approach roads, along with toll plazas and service areas will also be built, while dredging and river bank protection will also be carried out. The project which is being executed by the Bangladesh Bridge Authority is scheduled to be completed in December 2015.