The Bhola-Barisal Highway with its dilapidated state at a number of points is causing immense suffering for thousands of commuters and increasing risk of road accidents.
Carpeting at the points got heavily damaged and countless potholes developed on the road that is regularly used by people of 16 south-western districts, including Bhola, Barisal, Satkhira, Barguna, Jessore, Pirojpur, Khulna, and Bagerhat.
A 10.5km stretch from Laxmipur to Maju Chowdhury Hat of the highway, especially, is now in horrible condition.
Although the Road Transport and Highways Division has done minor repair work on the highway at different times, it didn’t sustain due to the excessive pressure of heavy vehicles.
Thousands of sand and stone-laden lorries now use the highway to carry construction materials to the Noakhali-Comilla Highway, which is being upgraded into a four-lane one.
The Maju Chowdhury Hat is nothing less than an industrial zone as a total of 10 sand and stone fields were set up there. Besides, there are ghat for docking launches, cargo vessels, and ferries.
Consignments of rods, cement and other construction materials reach there initially through water-route and later enter the adjacent districts using the Bhola-Barisal Highway.
Aside from lack of repair work, excessive pressure of heavy vehicles is also greatly responsible for the poor state of the highway.
During the dry seasons, thick fog filled with dust overlays the highway and adjacent areas and causes commuters' suffocation.
Whereas, in the rainy seasons commuters struggle in muddy conditions of the road.
Road accidents have been a common scenario on the highway because of the dilapidated condition of carpeting and frequent potholes.
While visiting the highway recently, the buses and lorries were seen to move slowly on the highway.
Moreover, four-wheeler light vehicles, and three-wheelers were also often seen getting stuck in the muddy pits on the road. Sometimes, it took several hours to get the wheels out of the pits.
Locals said the road has long been in dilapidated condition despite being an important route of the country.
Hundreds of goods-laden vehicles, buses and light vehicles regularly ply on the highway.
Using the highway becomes riskier after the sunset as there is no streetlamp.
Taslim Uddin, a truck driver, said the road has been in such a sorry state for the last three years.
“There are thousands of water-filled potholes that turned the road into a death-trap. Vehicles frequently get stuck in these pits and go out of order creating long queues of vehicles on both ends,” he added.
According to Laxmipur Road Transport and Highways Department, the tender process to upgrade the 10.5km portion into a four-lane one was completed last year.
However, the contractor is yet to get the work order as the comparative statement (CS) has not been passed in the ministry.
Md Mojammel Haque, sub-divisional engineer of Laxmipur RTHD, said the road can’t be repaired as paperwork of a tender to widen the highway was completed on December 19 last year.
Although the upgradation work was not done due to some difficulties, no other tender was issued to repair the road, he added.
