The Padma and Jamuna bridges saw record vehicle movement on a single day ahead of Eid-ul-Adha, generating nearly Tk9 crore in toll revenue, the Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) said on Thursday.
According to the BBA, a total of 45,602 vehicles crossed the Padma Bridge on Tuesday, May 26, collecting Tk5.03 crore in tolls. On the same day, 56,239 vehicles used the Jamuna Bridge, generating Tk3.83 crore. Combined toll collection stood at around Tk8.86 crore.
Authorities said no major accidents or serious traffic congestion occurred despite the heavy rush. They credited coordinated management and advance preparations for maintaining smooth traffic flow.
Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam visited the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) control room on Thursday morning to monitor the Eid travel situation. He reviewed live footage from both bridges. State Minister Md Razib Ahsan also inspected the Padma Bridge toll plaza on site.
BBA Executive Director Mohammad Abdur Rouf said the government continued efforts to modernise the transport network. He said the minister and state minister maintained round-the-clock monitoring to ensure safe and smooth Eid travel.
The BBA said several measures were in place for Eid-ul-Adha 2026. These included trained toll collectors, extended toll lanes, dedicated motorcycle lanes, continuous electronic toll collection (ETC), bus bays at Mawa and Elenga, enhanced surveillance-based traffic monitoring, emergency lanes, and security deployment every 300 metres along the bridges.
It also said three rescue vehicles were kept ready, including one brought from the Karnaphuli Tunnel, along with Fire Service and medical teams on standby.
The authority added that livestock-carrying vehicles were exempted from weighing scale requirements to ensure smooth transport of sacrificial animals ahead of Eid.
BBA said coordinated efforts from all stakeholders helped ensure a more comfortable and orderly homebound Eid journey this year.
