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Published : 15 Mar 2026, 11:00 AM
Traffic congestion may build up at four points on the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway during Eid travel to northern districts, with officials identifying six main risk factors.
The likely trouble spots are Elenga, Gol Chattar, the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza and the bridge itself.
According to district authorities, the main causes of possible congestion are the pressure of six-lane traffic narrowing into two lanes, ongoing construction on the highway and flyover, delays in toll collection, breakdowns of unfit vehicles, the large number of motorcycles and accidents.
The issues were identified in three meetings held by the district administration on ensuring safe Eid travel. Officials said work was under way round the clock to reduce the risks.
The roads department says 65 kilometres of the Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge highway, from Gorai in Mirzapur Upazila to the Jamuna Bridge, fall within Tangail district. Every day, between 20,000 and 22,000 vehicles from 24 districts use the route to cross the bridge.
That number rises sharply during Eid as low-income workers employed in factories and industrial establishments begin returning home on local buses and other low-cost transport from Dhaka.
According to toll plaza data, 48,368 vehicles crossed Jamuna Bridge during last year’s Eid-ul-Fitr holidays, while 66,489 crossed during the Eid-ul-Azha break.
Syed Riaz Uddin, executive engineer at the Jamuna Bridge side office, said tolls are normally collected through seven booths on each side of the bridge.
During the Eid holidays, that number will be increased to nine booths on each side, taking the total to 18, with separate booths for motorcycles, he said.
He added that wreckers would be kept ready to remove any vehicle involved in an accident or breakdown on the bridge.
Bottleneck at Elenga
The 13.5km stretch from Elenga to Jamuna Bridge has for several years remained a major bottleneck on the highway.
While the section from Gorai to Elenga is already operating as a six-lane road with service lanes, work to widen the Elenga-to-Jamuna Bridge stretch from two lanes to four is still under way.
As a result, vehicles travelling from Dhaka on six lanes slow sharply as they merge into two lanes, often causing long tailbacks.
Rabiul Awal, project manager of Abdul Monem Limited, the company carrying out the development work, said the 13.5km section from Elenga to the bridge was nearly complete.
He said the newly completed four lanes on both sides of the highway would be opened to traffic, and expressed hope that Eid travel would not be disrupted.
Breakdowns, Motorcycles Add to Pressure
Old and unfit local buses travelling from Dhaka during Eid often break down on the highway, worsening congestion, transport workers say.
Removing a broken-down vehicle can take 20 to 25 minutes, enough to trigger long traffic jams that take much longer to clear.
Drivers using the route said the problem returns every Eid as unfit vehicles are allowed onto the highway. If one breaks down at a key point, congestion begins almost immediately.
Abdul Baset, an assistant to a bus driver, said motorcycles create another problem on the Jamuna Bridge.
“They try to squeeze into any gap they find, which causes problems for other drivers,” he said.
Md Sharif, chief of the Elenga outpost of the Highway Police, said similar breakdowns on the bridge and elsewhere on the highway caused congestion during Eid last year.
Even on a six-lane road, traffic jams remain a risk if unfit vehicles are allowed to operate, he said.
Tangail Superintendent of Police Muhammad Shamsul Alam Sarker said 14 vulnerable points had been identified between the Rabna bypass and Jamuna Bridge.
He said the Tangail section of the highway would be divided into four zones for police deployment.
A total of 1,000 police personnel will be deployed from five days before Eid until seven days after to help keep traffic moving, working in three shifts round the clock, he said.
