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Published : 21 May 2026, 11:06 AM
Passengers and transport workers are bracing for serious congestion on three major highways passing through Narayanganj ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, with ongoing roadwork and roadside livestock markets adding to the usual holiday pressure.
The Asian Highway, also known as the Dhaka Bypass, and the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway are both under active repair, while even a minor accident on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway can trigger hours-long tailbacks, those who use the roads regularly say.
Despite standing instructions against leasing cattle markets next to highways, the district administration has this year granted leases for two markets in the Signboard area of the Sadar Upazila and Kanchpur in Sonargaon Upazila, both sitting alongside the Dhaka-Chattogram highway.
Locals fear the movement of livestock will disrupt traffic on the road.
Officials from the district administration, district police, Highway Police and roads department say they are working to keep disruptions to a minimum.
Repairs on One Side, Potholes on the Other
The Dhaka bypass regional highway stretching from Modonpur to Gazipur is currently being widened to four lanes.
The narrow road is already riddled with potholes, many filled with rainwater, causing long tailbacks that travellers expect to worsen during Eid.
The worst stretch is around the Kanchan Bridge area, with potholes also visible at Modonpur, Nayapara and Bostul.
Pickup van driver Md Mosharraf said traffic jams were a constant feature of the road. "You sit for hours. The road is broken and the work is going on, but it is very slow.”
CNG-powered autorickshaw driver Ibrahim Hossain said the misery had dragged on for years. "We have been suffering on this road for three or four years. For 22 hours out of 24, there is a jam here.
“Once a wheel drops into a pothole, there is no getting it out. During Eid this will get much worse."
Sub-Inspector Kajal Kanti Nath of Kanchpur Highway Police Station, on duty at the Modonpur stretch, said the road was in very poor shape with potholes every few metres.
"Although repair work is ongoing, the road is not wide enough to handle the volume of traffic," he said, adding that his team was working around the clock with reinforced numbers.
Badiul Amin Chowdhury, assistant superintendent of Gazipur Regional Highway Police, said despite the challenge of ongoing repairs, additional personnel would be deployed at key points, alongside district police and Ansar members.
Saiful Islam, sub-divisional engineer of Roads and Highways Department, Narayanganj, confirmed the four-lane upgrade was under way but said he could not give a progress update, as the project was being handled by the department's head office.
Slow Work Triggers Bottlenecks
The Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, one of the country's busiest roads, has been plagued by traffic jams and dust for four years due to the slow pace of its six-lane upgrade.
Three-wheelers illegally plying the highway are adding to the problem.
On-the-ground visits over the past two to three days found jams at Kanchpur, Jatramura, Borab, Rupshi and Bhulta.
Potholes and waterlogging are slowing traffic in several spots, though some patching work is visible at a few locations.
On Sunday afternoon, housewife Mosammat Sathi was found waiting near Tarabo Bishwaroad for at least 25 minutes for a bus to Gulistan.
A resident of Dighiborab in Rupganj Upazila, she said: "I have been standing here for nearly half an hour but no bus can get through because of the jam. Without the jam, buses come every five minutes."
She added that the problem had been dragging on for three to four years with no end in sight.
Businessman Monir Hossain, stuck at Bishwaroad for 20 minutes with a pickup van loaded with yarn, said journeys on this route took several times longer than they should.
"This road work never seems to finish. Today there is rain, so at least there is no dust. Otherwise, you cannot sit still for the dust either. I urge the government to wrap this up quickly," he added.
District police traffic division Assistant Sub-Inspector Md Sahabul said construction slowed vehicles enough to trigger long tailbacks.
Transport worker leader Md Zahirul Islam, seen directing traffic with a stick, said slow three-wheeled vehicles on the highway are adding to the gridlock on top of the construction chaos.
Minor Incidents Cause Major Jams
Drivers on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway say the road itself is in reasonable condition, but toll collection delays and accidents or breakdowns can instantly trigger massive tailbacks.
Random passenger pick-up and drop-off along the highway and haphazard parking also slow traffic considerably, a problem expected to worsen during Eid.
Bus conductor Manjur Hossain of Badhon Paribahan said, "This road has no major potholes. But if toll collection slows down at the toll plaza, a jam forms immediately. And if there is an accident or a vehicle breaks down somewhere, a long jam builds up in no time."
He recalled that on Friday, an accident near the Meghna Toll Plaza caused a jam so severe that he was stuck in the same spot for three and a half hours.
Administration Readies Extra Manpower
District police Additional Superintendent (Traffic) Sohel Rana listed the same concerns across all three highways -- potholes at Dorikandi Bridge on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, construction-related congestion at Jatramura Bridge on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway, and ongoing work on the Asian Highway through Kanchan-Bhulta-Bostul-Modonpur.
He said congestion on feeder roads alongside the highways also spills onto the main roads.
"We have flagged all these points to the relevant authorities and pushed for roads to be repaired before Eid. We have prepared to deploy adequate manpower to ensure Eid travel and livestock transport are not disrupted," he added.
Narayanganj district administrator Md Raihan Kabir said several problems had been identified and discussed with relevant authorities, with the roads department urged to speed up work.
On the cattle markets alongside the highway, he said the administration had not been keen on the idea, but both sites had been hosting markets for many years.
"Local residents made many requests for these traditional markets. That is why the leases were granted. But necessary measures have been taken to ensure the markets do not cause any disruption on the roads, and separate administrative arrangements have been put in place at both sites," he added.
He added that Ansar members would join district police and highway police in managing traffic on the highways.
