30km traffic jam persists on Dhaka-Tangail Highway

With Eid approaching, a last-minute surge of homebound travellers has led to severe congestion on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway. 

As of 8:00pm on Friday, June 6, a 30-km traffic jam stretches from the Karatipara bypass to the Jamuna Bridge, leaving passengers and drivers exhausted after hours of gridlock.

The congestion was evident across various sections of the highway on Friday evening. Reports indicate that the traffic jam began on Wednesday, June 4, after 4 am, initially spanning 22 km due to heavy traffic, vehicle breakdowns, and issues on the Jamuna Bridge. 

The situation worsened over the day and persisted through Thursday. 

On Friday, multiple road accidents and vehicle breakdowns on the bridge prompted authorities to halt toll collection for approximately 90 minutes, causing the jam to escalate to over 50 km by the afternoon.

Drivers and passengers report that a journey typically taking two hours now requires 8 to 10 hours. Many cited a lack of road discipline as a major issue, describing this as one of the worst traffic experiences they have faced.

Police authorities, however, claim they are actively working to alleviate the situation. 

Tangail Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman attributed the jam to excessive traffic volume, road accidents, vehicle breakdowns, and the temporary suspension of toll collection. Over 600 police officers are deployed to manage the crisis, but the highway has not returned to normal after two days.

The transport shortage has also forced passengers to resort to unsafe measures, such as traveling on the roofs of open trucks and buses to reach their destinations. 

Additionally, there are reports of transport operators charging fares several times higher than usual, exacerbating the plight of travellers.