A massive tailback has formed along a 20-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway, from the Ashuganj roundabout in Brahmanbaria to Shahbazpur in Sarail. The movement of vehicles has slowed drastically due to pothole-ridden roads, with traffic coming to a complete standstill in some places.
The congestion, which began around midnight on Thursday, has caused extreme suffering for both passengers and drivers.
They complained that the condition of the road, particularly near Ashuganj and the Bishwaroad intersection, has been poor for a long time. In some areas, deep potholes are causing vehicle wheels to get stuck, increasing the risk of accidents.
Md Liaquat, a driver of Mamun Paribahan, said: “This traffic jam is entirely due to the broken roads. The road is so damaged at the Ashuganj roundabout and Bishwaroad that vehicles could overturn.”
He added: “I reached Shahbazpur at 2am, and in eight hours I’ve only covered five kilometres. We want the roadworks to begin immediately, or passengers' suffering will get worse.”
Truck driver Bhushan Deb said: “I got caught in the jam in Ashuganj around 10pm. It’s clearing very slowly. This happens quite often. The road needs to be repaired quickly.”
Passenger Md Shamim said: “I set out last night. I had a sub-assistant agriculture exam in Dhaka today. But I couldn’t sit the exam due to being stuck in traffic. I’ve been walking along the highway for two hours. We've been hearing about repairs for a long time, but no work is being done.”
Another passenger, Mira Begum, said: “The men are getting out of the vehicles and walking, but we women are still sitting inside the cars. We’ve been stuck in this jam since last night—it’s very difficult. Isn’t anyone paying attention?”
Brahmanbaria’s Khatihata highway police station Officer-in-Charge Mamun Rahman said: “I’m at the Ashuganj roundabout end. Traffic is moving slowly in both directions. Besides the poor road conditions, the unregulated movement of small three-wheeled vehicles is also worsening the situation.”
Construction under Package-1 of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway project—covering a 12-kilometre stretch from Ashuganj to Bishwaroad—is facing delays.
Project Manager Shamim Ahmed said: “There have been some changes to Package-1, and the delay in fund release from the Indian government has also slowed down the work.”
He added: “A high-level delegation from the Bangladesh government is preparing to visit the project area. After that, full-scale work will begin. We are making regular repair efforts, but they are not holding up due to the rain. We hope the problem will be resolved soon.
