Dhaka-Chattogram highway mired in 8-hour traffic gridlock

Drivers and passengers suffer from extended congestion after 4am on Friday

The Dhaka-Chattogram Highway has been mired in an 8-hour traffic gridlock, causing severe disruption for drivers and passengers in Daudkandi Upazila in Cumilla.

The traffic jam started at 4am on Friday. Later, it spread to an area of at least ten km from Shahidnagar to Raipur in the Upazila.

The situation arose due to the closure of the Dhaka-bound lane while authorities attempted to recover a truck involved in an accident, vehicles travelling in the wrong direction on the Chattogram-bound lane, and the increased volume of traffic during the holiday, according to officials.

Shahinul Alam, chief of Daudkandi Highway Police Station said, “There was intense traffic on the road due to the holiday. The gridlock was worsened by passenger buses, microbuses, and some private vehicles driving the wrong way. The increased rush of vehicles also contributed to the congestion.”

Traffic on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway returned to normal from around 12:30pm, he added.

Locals reported that a truck accident at 4am near Putia Union in Daudkandi caused the Dhaka-bound lane to close, leading to a prolonged traffic jam.

Multiple highway police teams were deployed to manage the situation.

Saiful Islam, a resident of Cumilla Sadar, said: "I got into the car to go to Dhaka at 7am on Friday. I was stuck until 11pm.”

"In that time I could have gone to Dhaka and returned to Cumilla. I haven't had any problems on the road lately. "

Jamal Hossain, the driver of a Dhaka-bound bus from Cumilla, said: “There was a lot of traffic on the highway on Friday morning. The accident took place at Daudkandi. Thousands of people suffered during the rescue of a truck that crashed. It took about two-and-a-half to three hours on the road. "