Tangail, Jun 05 (V7N)- A massive traffic jam stretching from the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge to Elenga in Tangail has caused significant hardship for thousands of passengers traveling both toward Dhaka and the northern districts of Bangladesh.
The congestion began early Friday morning and continued throughout the day, resulting in long delays and slow vehicle movement on the busy highway.
According to Jamuna Bridge East Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Fuad Rohani, the situation worsened due to the heavy volume of Dhaka-bound vehicles, slow-moving trucks, and frequent overtaking by drivers.
To ease the pressure, authorities initially closed the toll lane designated for North Bengal-bound vehicles and collected tolls only through the four Dhaka-bound lanes. Although both directions were reopened around 10:00 a.m., traffic movement remained sluggish.
Police and local sources said that vehicles from approximately 22 districts use the Jamuna Bridge corridor. Under normal circumstances, between 20,000 and 25,000 vehicles travel on the route daily. However, during Eid holidays and peak travel periods, the number can rise to between 50,000 and 60,000 vehicles.
Transport experts and law enforcement officials noted that excessive traffic volume, combined with unfit vehicles and poor lane discipline, frequently contributes to congestion on the highway during major holidays.
Traffic Police Inspector Anisur Rahman said that police personnel are working continuously to ease the congestion and restore normal traffic flow. However, despite ongoing efforts, vehicles were still moving slowly at the time of reporting.
Many passengers expressed frustration over the prolonged delays, with some spending several hours on the road while attempting to return to Dhaka after the Eid holidays.
END/SMA/AJ
