For almost 200 years, the British ruled over what is now Bangladesh. During this time, they built very few bridges in the region. This lack of basic infrastructure has made it harder for Bangladesh to develop and grow, even to this day. Let’s look at how the story of bridges shows us the lasting harm of colonial rule.
Britain built thousands of bridges at home while building very few in Bangladesh. This shows how differently they treated their own country compared to the lands they ruled.
According to records from the British Historical Society and the Transport Trust, Britain had built more than 40,000 bridges across its own territory by the early 1900s. This included about 30,000 road bridges and 10,000 railway bridges. This meant Britain had roughly one bridge for every 6 square kilometers – creating one of the world’s best transportation networks.
Meanwhile, in what is now Bangladesh, the story was very different. Records from the Public Works Department of British India show that fewer than 300 permanent bridges were built in all of British Bengal during colonial rule (1757-1947). Research by Bangladeshi historian Dr. Muntassir Mamoon shows that in what is now Bangladesh, only about 90 major bridges existed when the British left in 1947. This meant Bangladesh had only one bridge for every 1,800 square kilometers – 300 times fewer bridges than Britain had.
As economic historian Amiya Kumar Bagchi writes in his book “Colonialism and Indian Economy” (2010), this was not an accident: “Infrastructure in colonial Bengal was designed not to maximize economic potential, but to minimize the costs of administrative control and resource extraction.”
The lack of bridges was especially detrimental in Bangladesh due to its numerous rivers. The country has over 700 rivers with a combined length of more than 24,000 kilometers. During colonial times, people had to rely on boats and ferries to cross these rivers, making travel slow and difficult.
Historian Willem van Schendel notes in “A History of Bangladesh” (2009) that traditional water transport systems were deliberately left underdeveloped to ensure the British kept control over trade routes.
The British often claimed that building bridges in Bangladesh was too difficult because of its soft soil and heavy rains. However, engineering historians like P.K. Mishra have pointed out that the British overcame similar challenges in other colonies when it served their economic interests.
In 2022, Bangladesh completed the Padma Bridge – the country’s largest infrastructure project ever. This 6.15-kilometer bridge spans the mighty Padma River, connecting the southwest region to the capital, Dhaka. The bridge cost $3.6 billion and was funded entirely by Bangladesh itself after the World Bank withdrew support.
According to the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, the Padma Bridge has already made a huge difference:
Travel time between Dhaka and the southwest has dropped from 7-8 hours to just 2-3 hours
The bridge is expected to increase Bangladesh’s GDP by 1.2-2% every year
It has created new opportunities for nearly 30 million people across 21 districts
The cost of transporting goods has fallen by 10-15% in the first year
Property values in previously isolated areas have increased by 70-150%
Dr. Zahid Hussain, former lead economist at the World Bank’s Dhaka office, said: “The Padma Bridge is not just physical infrastructure but a psychological breakthrough—showing that Bangladesh can overcome the problems inherited from colonial times.”
The few major bridges that were built during colonial times show how much difference more bridges would have made. The Hardinge Bridge, completed in 1915 to carry the Eastern Bengal Railway over the Padma River, is a good example. According to economic historian Sugata Bose, areas connected by this rail bridge saw agricultural exports increase by 45% within five years, and local manufacturing began to develop in previously isolated regions.
Similarly, the Kalni Bridge at Bhairab, built in 1937, created an economic corridor that saw nearly 30% higher growth rates than similar regions without bridge connections.
Infrastructure economist Dr. Mashiur Rahman noted: “Each colonial-era bridge created an island of relative prosperity, making the absence of more such infrastructure all the more damaging.”
After gaining independence in 1971, Bangladesh faced the huge challenge of building basic infrastructure that should have been developed much earlier. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, the country has built over 4,500 bridges (larger than 100 meters) since independence – an impressive achievement that still isn’t enough.
The Bangabandhu Bridge (also called the Jamuna Multi-purpose Bridge), completed in 1998, is another example of how bridges transform regions. This 4.8-kilometer bridge connected the country’s northwest to the capital region.
Research by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies found that within ten years of its opening:
Regional GDP in connected areas increased by about 30%
Poverty rates fell 14% faster than in similar regions without bridge access
Farmers could grow more diverse crops as they gained access to city markets
Industrial jobs increased by 18% in previously isolated regions
If the British had built bridges in Bangladesh at even a fraction of the rate they did at home, Bangladesh would have had over 4,000 bridges at independence – instead of just a few hundred.
Economic models by the Bangladesh Planning Commission suggest that with colonial-era infrastructure development comparable to Britain’s domestic investment, Bangladesh’s GDP at independence might have been 40-60% higher.
With better bridge infrastructure during colonial times, many things might have been different:
Fewer Famines: The terrible famines of colonial Bengal, especially the 1943 Bengal Famine that killed about 3 million people, might have been less severe or prevented entirely. Food could have moved more efficiently from areas with surplus to areas with shortages.
Earlier Industry: Industrial development could have happened earlier and been more spread out. Research by economic historian Tirthankar Roy shows that regions with better infrastructure developed manufacturing decades earlier than isolated regions.
Better Education: Analysis by Dr. Binayak Sen shows that areas connected by bridges during colonial times had 30% higher literacy rates by the 1950s compared to similar but unconnected regions.
Better Health: Colonial medical records analyzed by health historian Dr. Amartya Mukhopadhyay reveal that bridge-connected regions had 25% lower death rates during epidemics, as medical resources could reach people more easily.
Bangladesh is now working on one of the most ambitious bridge-building programs in the developing world. According to the Roads and Highways Department, the country plans to build over 15,000 bridges of various sizes in the next ten years.
Besides the Padma Bridge, other major projects include:
Karnaphuli Tunnel: Bangladesh’s first underwater tunnel, almost complete, will connect Chittagong with its southern industrial zones.
Dhaka Elevated Expressway: A 19.73 km elevated expressway that will greatly improve traffic flow in the capital.
Payra Bridge: A 1.5 km bridge over the Payra River that has already reduced travel time between Barisal and Patuakhali by 3 hours.
Economic analysis suggests these projects could together increase Bangladesh’s GDP growth rate by an additional 1-1.5% every year over the next decade.
The infrastructure gap that Bangladesh continues to address is what economist Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman calls “the compound interest of colonial neglect.” Each year of delayed development due to inadequate infrastructure has multiplied the development gap.
Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud of Dhaka University notes: “When we discuss Bangladesh’s remarkable economic progress in recent decades, we must recognize that much of this represents catching up to where the country might have been without colonial infrastructure policies.”
The story of bridges in Bangladesh shows an important truth about colonialism: it wasn’t just taking resources that hurt colonized nations, but also holding back development. Each bridge Bangladesh builds today represents not just economic opportunity but a correction of historical injustice—infrastructure that should have existed decades ago.
As Bangladesh continues its remarkable development journey, the Padma Bridge stands as both a symbol of present achievement and a reminder of what might have been possible without colonial neglect. The economic growth now happening in the country’s southwest region gives us a glimpse of the development that the entire nation might have experienced much earlier if colonial infrastructure investment had matched even a small fraction of what Britain built at home.
As Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz said during his 2023 visit to the Padma Bridge: “This bridge represents not just the connection of two riverbanks, but the bridging of a historical development gap created by colonial policies. Bangladesh’s future will be written by more such bridges—both literal and metaphorical—that span the distance between what was denied and what is possible.”
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