The dilapidated Naogaon-Badalgachhi road has now become a reason for repeated accidents on top of the usual dread faced by commuters every day.
The absence of repairs in the last five years has caused the asphalt to come off in many places along the stretch of the once paved road from Naogaon Sadar to Badalgachhi upazila.
For years heavy trucks have been plying this route, changing its geometry with the emergence of frequent potholes and sloped ditches in the middle of the road.
In recent times, the condition of the road seems to have worsened, heightening the risk of major accidents taking place. During the rainy season, the road becomes muddy and slippery and very difficult to traverse, with water-filled potholes making things even worse. And during the dry season, the road emits an unbearable amount of dust.
According to the Roads and Highways Department’s (RHD) Naogaon office, the length of the road from Naogaon Sadar to Badalgachhi upazila is 18km. Tourists take this road to get to the historical Sompur Mahavihara in Paharpur. Besides, this is a key road for the people of Patnitala, Sapahar and Dhamoirhat upazilas.
Although the road is not equipped to handle more than 22 tons, trucks frequently carry loads weighing from 30 to 40 tons. On an average 10,000-12,000 vehicles pass through this road every day. The last repair and widening project on the road was undertaken in 2015.
On a recent visit, this correspondent saw potholes and ditches covering most of the 18km road. Asphalt has come off in some places, creating large potholes in which heavy cargo trucks often get stuck.
Sections of the road in Paharpur Bazar, Kirtipur Bazar, Balubhara, Khalsi intersection, Changla, Badalgachhi Food Warehouse Junction, and Hospital intersection are particularly worse off.
Saiful Islam, a CNG driver from Mathurapur, said the road was repaired and widened five years ago. “After that, there was no development work on the road except an occasional filling of potholes. As a result, the road has become unsuitable for vehicular movement. My auto-rickshaw is often damaged through falling into the potholes.”
Bus driver Shafiqul Islam said: “It used to take a maximum of 20 minutes from Sadar to Badalgachhi. Now, I can get there not before 40-50 minutes.”
Sajedur Rahman, executive engineer of Naogaon RHD Regional Office, said: “The maximum capacity of six-wheeler trucks (including vehicle weight) on this regional road is 15 tons and the maximum capacity of 10-wheeler trucks is 22 tons. But in reality, the trucks are transporting goods more than the road capacity. Heavy goods trucks are one of the reasons for the breakdown of the Naogaon-Badalgachhi road.
He added: “Project proposals have been sent for the renovation of five regional roads in Naogaon, including the Naogaon-Badalgachhi road. However, for the time being, the bricks and mortar will be laid on the worst part of the road. This temporary repair work on the road will start very soon.”