With only one night remaining before Eid-ul-Azha, homebound travelers are making their way via the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge Highway amid intermittent gridlock stretching 45km.
Commuters travelling via the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway are facing immense suffering.
A traffic congestion stretching approximately 30km has formed from the Jamuna Bridge to Karatia on this route.
Additionally, vehicle movement is extremely slow over a 15km stretch from Mirzapur Cadet College to Jamurki, causing severe hardship for holidaymakers heading home for Eid.
Many passengers are risking their lives by travelling in open trucks or on the roofs of buses due to a shortage of available transport.
Meanwhile, transport operators have allegedly hiked fares several times higher than usual.
Owing to the excessive number of vehicles, breakdowns on the bridge and other related issues, a traffic jam stretching about 22km formed from the Ashekpur Bypass to the Jamuna Bridge starting from 4am on Wednesday.
The congestion persisted throughout the day and continued into the night, causing the gridlock to intensify further.
According to police officials, drivers and passengers, a journey that usually takes two hours is now taking six to eight hours.
The suffering is largely attributed to unfit vehicles breaking down and road accidents.
Moreover, the limited capacity of the Jamuna Bridge is hindering the smooth passage of vehicles.
As a result, Dhaka-bound vehicles from the northern regions are being diverted through Bhuapur.
In the past 24 hours, a total of 64,283 vehicles of various types have crossed the bridge for Eid travel, generating toll revenue amounting to Tk410,80,950.
Officer-in-Charge of Gorai Highway police station, Md Jasim Uddin, told Dhaka Tribune: “Due to the overwhelming number of vehicles, traffic movement in my area is very slow. However, we are actively working to resolve the congestion.”
In this regard, Tangail Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman said: “We are relentlessly working to alleviate the traffic congestion.”