A 16-kilometre traffic tailback formed on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway due to heavy vehicle pressure, multiple breakdowns and several accidents on the bridge and its approach roads.
The congestion stretched from the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza to Pauli in Tangail from Friday night, causing significant suffering for commuters, particularly women, children and elderly passengers.
According to police and bridge authorities, vehicle pressure began increasing on the Sirajganj side of the highway from Friday afternoon, resulting in congestion along a nearly 10km stretch from the west end of the bridge to the Jhaoil overpass.
Traffic movement remained slow throughout the evening.
At around 9pm, a bus crashed into the rear of another bus on the Dhaka-bound lane near pillar No 7 of the Jamuna Bridge, leaving one person dead. Traffic movement on the bridge was temporarily halted following the accident.
Although the damaged vehicle was later removed with a wrecker, the growing volume of traffic worsened congestion on both sides of the bridge. The tailback eventually spread to the eastern side, extending into Tangail.
Rupchan Sheikh, a bus driver travelling from Gazipur to Natore, said he had been stuck in traffic since reaching Elenga.
“There has been congestion since Tangail. We are suffering badly in the heat,” he said.
Elenga Highway Police Outpost In-charge Sharif said traffic pressure had increased since Friday as many garment factories were set to reopen on Saturday.
“Highway police and district police are working to ease the congestion,” he said.
Syed Riaz Uddin, executive engineer of the Jamuna Bridge Site Office, said around 15 to 16 vehicle breakdowns and road accidents had occurred on the bridge.
“In addition, many passengers are getting off vehicles while they remain stuck on the bridge, further affecting traffic movement. As a result, congestion and slow-moving traffic have developed on both sides of the bridge,” he said.
