Homebound travelers from northern Bangladesh have started leaving the capital on the second day of the Eid holiday, but their journey has been disrupted by severe traffic congestion on the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge highway.

Due to excessive traffic pressure, rainfall, and multiple vehicle breakdowns on the Jamuna Bridge approach road overnight, intermittent traffic jams stretched across a 22-kilometre section of the highway.

The congestion began Monday (25 May) night and continued until at least 9:00 am Tuesday, affecting the route from the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza to Rabna. Eid travelers faced significant suffering, with women, children, and elderly passengers experiencing the greatest hardship.

Traffic movement remained slow from overnight in areas including Gorai, Mirzapur, Tangail Bypass, Rabna Bypass, Elenga, and up to the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge. Alongside long-route buses, passengers were also travelling by microbuses, private cars, motorcycles, and open trucks to reach their destinations.

To ease congestion, district police deployed around 1,000 officers at different points along the highway. Authorities also increased special monitoring on the bridge to ensure a smoother Eid journey. Police patrols were intensified at key locations to prevent theft, mugging, and robbery.

According to the Jamuna Bridge authorities, a total of 53,246 vehicles crossed the bridge during the 24-hour period from Sunday midnight to Monday midnight, generating toll revenue of Tk3 crore 77 lakh.

Of these, 32,186 vehicles travelled toward northern Bangladesh, generating Tk2 crore in tolls. Meanwhile, 21,060 Dhaka-bound vehicles crossed from the western end, contributing Tk1 crore 81 lakh in revenue.

Executive Engineer of the Jamuna Bridge Site Office, Syed Riaz Uddin, said rainfall and excessive traffic pressure overnight had caused temporary congestion, adding that the situation was expected to return to normal as the day progressed.

FP/A