A severe traffic jam formed along a 21-kilometer stretch of the Dhaka-Sylhet highway on Tuesday, from the Ashuganj roundabout in Brahmanbaria to Shahbazpur in Sarail due to numerous potholes.
Vehicles were moving very slowly, causing immense suffering for passengers and drivers, who were stuck for hours.
According to transport drivers and passengers, the potholes have significantly slowed down vehicle movement, triggering long tailbacks.
The Ashuganj roundabout and Sarail Bishwaroad sections of the highway have been in poor condition for a long time.
Abu Kalam, a driver of Ena Paribahan, said: “We started from Dhaka for Sylhet in the morning and got stuck in traffic right after crossing the Bhairab Bridge. It took us three hours to cover just 12 kilometers. The situation is extremely frustrating.”
Traffic congestion on the Brahmanbaria section of the highway has become a regular issue, causing major inconvenience.
Passengers blame the traffic police and the negligence of the Roads and Highways Department for the ongoing situation.
Sergeant Suja Islam of Khatihata highway police station said: “We are trying our best to manage the traffic, but unless the road is repaired, this problem will not go away anytime soon.”
Notably, repair work on the dilapidated highway was supposed to begin on Friday afternoon, but no visible progress has been seen so far.
