15 km tailback on Dhaka-Tangail Highway
Staff Reporter :
A 15-kilometre-long tailback has formed on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway, causing severe suffering to commuters heading towards North Bengal.
The congestion began on Saturday morning in the Tangail section, stretching from the Jamuna Bridge to Pungli, and was attributed to a combination of a late-night road accident on the bridge and a surge in vehicle numbers, police said.
While visiting the area, this reporter found that thousands of people from the northwestern region are rushing to the capital in buses, trucks, pickup vans, microbuses, private cars, and motorcycles. So, pressure has increased on all routes in Sirajganj, including the Jamuna Bridge West Link Highway.
“There was a road accident on the Jamuna Bridge around midnight. It took time to remove the damaged vehicle with a wrecker, which caused disruptions in traffic flow,” said Faiz Ahmed, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jamuna Setu East Police Station.
“Traffic was slow through the night, and we are working to restore normal movement,” he added.
Officials said that the build-up began Friday night due to the heavy pressure of northbound vehicles. Delays in toll collection and bottlenecks at the western end of the bridge in Sirajganj worsened the situation.
While Dhaka-bound traffic is moving normally, vehicles heading toward North Bengal are experiencing prolonged delays.
Elenga Highway Police Outpost In-charge Mohammad Sharif said traffic has been particularly heavy in the Sirajganj section, which in turn caused congestion on the Tangail side.
“Our personnel are working at multiple points to ease the situation,” he added.
Efforts are ongoing to clear the backlog and restore normal traffic flow.
Hatikumrul Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abdur Rouf said, “There is a traffic jam on the western side of the bridge for about 15 kilometers. Several vehicles broke down on the bridge and on the west side, causing the traffic congestion.”
Mohammad Asaduzzaman, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Jamuna Setu West Police Station, said a total of five cars, including four on the bridge and one on the west side, broke down. That causes terrible traffic congestion.
