Stop-start congestion grips Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge Highway during Eid rush

Desperate holidaymakers opt for open trucks at triple the usual fare as passenger buses are entirely full

Stop-start congestion has gripped the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge Highway, with rain, overnight vehicle breakdowns, and the Eid rush combining to bring traffic to a crawl across a 23-km stretch.

The heavy tailbacks, which began on Monday night between the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza and Rabna in Tangail Sadar Upazila, continued into Tuesday morning, Jamuna Bridge site office Executive Engineer Syed Riyaz Uddin said.

Pressure built from dawn on Tuesday at Gorai, Mirzapur, Tangail Bypass, Rabna Bypass, Elenga, and the eastern end of Jamuna Bridge.

Homebound travellers desperate to reach their families for Eid are packing buses, microbuses, cars, and motorcycles -- with many resorting to open trucks when nothing else is available.

Motaleb Mia, heading to Pabna from Gazipur, said he could not find a bus in the early hours of the day and climbed onto a truck instead.

"A road that typically takes an hour and a half took nearly three and a half hours. I am still stuck at Pouli on the highway," he added.

Ayesha Akter, a female passenger bound for Rajshahi, said she has been dealing with stop-and-go traffic ever since passing Gharinda in Tangail.

"It goes a little, then stops again. It is exhausting.”

Another passenger, Anwar Hossain, said every bus was packed with no standing room left.

"I had no choice but to pay three times the normal fare to ride a truck -- and even here we are stuck in traffic," he added.

Engineer Riyaz said rain and the volume of vehicles overnight had caused the build-up. "I hope it will ease as the day goes on.”