Commuters stranded for hours as Eid traffic triggers Jamuna Bridge gridlock

Eid return journeys slow to a crawl as traffic piles up from both sides of the river

A prolonged traffic snarl on the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge Highway has left Eid returnees stranded in hours of hardship.

The congestion stretched from the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza to Pouli along at least 15km of the highway from Friday night, officials said.

Elenga Highway Police Outpost chief Md Sharif said excessive vehicle pressure and multiple breakdowns on the Jamuna Bridge and its connecting roads during the night caused the tailback.

He added that traffic flow was gradually returning to normal as the day progressed.

Stranded commuters described hours of suffering in the jam.

A fish trader from Sirajganj Hamid Mia said, “I set out for Tangail early in the morning, but I am still stuck after crossing the Jamuna Bridge. I need to sell fish in Tangail, but I still cannot move.”

Bus driver Anwar Hossain, who travelled from Gazipur, said: “There is a traffic jam from Tangail. I am stuck at Elenga on the highway. The heat is making things unbearable.”

On Friday morning, commuters had already faced similar congestion on the western side of the Jamuna Bridge in Sirajganj.

Amid heavy traffic pressure, 24 minor and major accidents were reported on and around the bridge within 23 hours, according to officials.

Six of the incidents required rescue operations with wreckers, forcing intermittent closures of both lanes and sometimes of one lane of the bridge, further worsening congestion on both sides of the river.