The pressure of homebound passengers on the Padma Bridge and Dhaka-Mawa Expressway peaked on Wednesday ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, though no major traffic congestion was reported due to coordinated management by the authorities.
As Eid approaches, people from the southern and southwestern regions continued returning home in large numbers.
A total of 89,610 vehicles crossed the Padma Bridge in the last 48 hours, generating nearly Tk10 crore in toll revenue.
According to Padma Bridge Executive Engineer Abu Sayad, 45,602 vehicles crossed the bridge on May 26 alone.
Of them, 30,094 vehicles crossed through the Mawa end, generating Tk2.87 crore in tolls.
At the same time, 15,508 vehicles crossed through the Jajira end, where toll collection stood at Tk2.15 crore.
In total, toll revenue on May 26 reached Tk5.32 crore.
The previous day, on May 25, a total of 44,008 vehicles crossed the bridge.
Among them, 28,415 vehicles crossed through the Mawa end, generating Tk2.64 crore in tolls, while 15,593 vehicles crossed through the Jajira end, contributing Tk2.15 crore.
Total toll collection on that day stood at Tk4.81 crore.
Authorities said passenger buses, private cars, motorcycles and goods-laden vehicles created noticeable traffic pressure on the expressway and bridge throughout the day.
However, vehicle movement remained normal due to additional toll lanes, separate motorcycle lanes and active monitoring by law enforcement agencies.
Bridge authorities said special measures had been taken ahead of Eid, including expanding toll plaza capacity, deploying additional manpower and strengthening traffic management.
Members of the Highway Police, district police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other agencies were working continuously to ensure smooth travel, they added.
Homebound passengers said this year’s Eid journey was far more comfortable than last year’s, especially because there were no long tailbacks on the Padma Bridge or expressway.
