Severe traffic congestion on the Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail highways has caused extreme suffering for homebound Eid travellers, with only one day remaining until the holy Eid-ul-Adha.
On the Dhaka-Tangail highway towards the Jamuna Bridge, vehicles are moving at a slow speed from Mirzapur to the bridge — a stretch of 40 kilometres — due to extra vehicle pressure, rain, and several vehicles breaking down on the connector road last night.
Since Tuesday morning, such scenes have been observed on the Gorai, Mirzapur, Tangail Bypass, Rabna Bypass, Elenga, and Jamuna Bridge east side areas.
The highway police said the Jamuna Bridge’s limited capacity is struggling to handle the huge volume of vehicles, forcing northbound Dhaka‑bound traffic to be diverted via the Bhuyapur link road.
Passengers are traveling in risky conditions, riding on open trucks and bus rooftops amid rain, while complaints of fares several times higher than usual have surfaced.
Rangpur‑bound passenger Iftekhar Hossain said a two‑hour journey is now taking six to eight hours. He blamed broken, unfit vehicles, ongoing work on the Elenga flyover, and incomplete four‑lane expansion for the ordeal.
Tangail Highway Police Officer-in-charge Sharif Uddin said traffic is moving slowly due to the pressure of vehicles, but efforts are underway to ease congestion.
Site office executive engineer Syed Riaz Uddin said rain and heavy traffic caused the jam overnight, but conditions are expected to normalize as the day progresses.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar said the entire Tangail stretch of the highway is under heavy pressure, with rain slowing traffic further.
Meanwhile on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, the main congestion has occurred around the Gazipur-Chandra-Bypail area. Excessive vehicle pressure, narrow roads, extra crowds of homebound people due to Eid, and rainfall have made the situation even more complex, leaving passengers stuck in long jams.
BGB, police deploy personnel
To ensure safe, comfortable, and congestion-free travel, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has come into action. Under the initiative of Gazipur Battalion (63 BGB), members have been deployed at various important points on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. They are working in coordination with other law enforcement agencies to keep traffic flowing normally, maintain discipline, ensure public safety, and ensure smooth movement.
Meanwhile, Tangail district police have deployed 1,000 officers at various points on the highway to alleviate jams. Special police surveillance has been placed on the Jamuna Bridge. Police are also patrolling important locations to prevent theft, snatching, and robbery.
Mobile magistrates are on duty to prevent the movement of sacrificial animal-carrying trucks and unfit vehicles, as well as the collection of extra fares from passengers.
56,239 vehicles cross Jamuna Bridge
According to the Jamuna Bridge Authority, from Sunday night to Monday night (24 hours), 56,239 vehicles crossed the bridge. Tolls collected amounted to Tk3.82 crore.
Of these, 32,186 vehicles crossed towards North Bengal, yielding Tk1.96 crore in tolls, while 21,060 vehicles crossed towards Dhaka, yielding Tk 1 crore 81 lakh 17 thousand 500.
Executive Engineer of the Jamuna Bridge Site Office, Syed Riaz Uddin, said some congestion occurred due to rain and extra vehicle pressure at night, but the situation has started to normalise as the day progresses.
Tangail District Police Superintendent Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarkar said 1,000 police officers are on duty to make the Eid journey comfortable, with special surveillance on the bridge.
The BGB has informed that they remain constantly vigilant and prepared to ensure that ordinary people can reach their destinations safely and comfortably. According to informed circles, if effective traffic management is strengthened especially on the Gazipur-Chandra-Bypail corridor and a separate control system is in place during rain, the suffering could be significantly reduced.
Severe jams on Savar roads
Homebound passengers are facing severe suffering due to heavy traffic jams on the Bypail-Abdullahpur and Nabinnagar-Chandra roads in Savar, with the same congested scene observed throughout the day, reports said on Tuesday.
After the announcement of a 10-day holiday for Eid-ul-Adha, millions of workers from North and West Bengal have been leaving garment factories in the Ashulia industrial area to celebrate Eid with their families.
Since morning, heavy passenger pressure has been noticeable on the Abdullahpur-Bypail and Nabinnagar-Chandra highways. However, the pressure decreased slightly when rain began around 11am. From noon, passenger numbers started increasing dramatically again at every counter.
As a result, severe traffic jams have spread for several kilometres on both highways, forcing vehicles to move in a stop-and-go manner.
Thousands of homebound Eid passengers are waiting for public transport at the Nabinnagar, Pallibidyut, Bypail, EPZ, Bolibhadra, Sreepur, Jirani Bazar, and Kabirpur bus stands along the highways.
Meanwhile, passengers are alleging that transport operators are charging several times more than the regular fare, taking advantage of the desperate situation.
Police are working to alleviate the traffic jams, but the sheer volume of vehicles and passengers continues to overwhelm the roads, leaving many stranded for hours. Further updates are awaited as Eid approaches.
