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Published : 25 May 2026, 01:01 PM
Traffic pressure has increased on all highways connected to Dhaka due to the rush of people heading home for Eid. However, until Monday afternoon, there were no reports of long traffic jams anywhere. Highway Police said that, in addition to regular personnel, an extra 1,000 police members have been deployed on the highways, while district police are also working regularly.
The Highway Police identified 94 congestion-prone points on the Dhaka–North Bangladesh Highway, Dhaka–Chattogram Highway, the southwestern route via the Padma Bridge, and the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway, deploying additional personnel in those areas.
After government and private offices began theirEid holidays on Sunday, crowds of homebound travellers flooded the capital’s bus terminals from the evening onward. Although buses bound for northern districts had been departing from Gabtoli for the past several months, police allowed them to move toward the Shyamoli–Kallyanpur area from Sunday evening. By then, around a thousand people had gathered at the Kallyanpur counters.
Rabiul Islam, a passenger travelling to Dinajpur, said: “I boarded the bus around 10pm and reached Dinajpur by 8am. The bus departed a little late after boarding. We faced some traffic near Bypile and later in Chandra, but nowhere else.”
Doctor Shamim Aziz, who left Dhaka early Monday morning for Thakurgaon in a private car, said around 11am that they had already crossed Bogura.
He said, “There’s no major traffic jam, but there’s a huge rush of vehicles on the roads. In some places, we had to move slowly.”
As 15 passengers travelling in a truck were killed in Tangail earlier in the morning, Dr Shamim expressed concern that passengers were still travelling on open-top trucks.
He said, “Almost every truck is carrying passengers. Yet we just saw in Tangail how people died after a truck overturned and they were crushed under iron rods. Again, in a busy place like Bypile, I saw large trucks driving on the wrong side of the road. We need better management. A major accident could happen anytime.”
Journalist Golam Mohammad Rajib Hossain left Mohammadpur in Dhaka by private car in the morning for Jhikargachha in Jashore. Around 11am, he said they had reached Narail.
Rajib said, “There’s no major traffic jam overall. But traffic slowed significantly about 15–20 kilometres before the Padma Bridge. Many vehicles had piled up because of the toll plaza. Otherwise, the road conditions are quite good.”
Jahirul Islam, a supervisor of a Shyamoli Paribahan bus, said:
“We travelled overnight from Chattogram and are now returning. I heard there’s traffic congestion in Cumilla. Let’s see what happens.”
Although other highways remained mostly congestion-free, the Dhaka–Sylhet Highway continued to suffer from traffic congestion.
An employee of Mamun Paribahan said, “Road construction is ongoing near Brahmanbaria. If it rains even a little, things get bad. Whether you take the Kanchpur Bridge or Kanchan Bridge route, you’ll definitely get stuck in traffic. Work is still unfinished around Narsingdi, Bhairab, and Brahmanbaria.”
“There Is Pressure, But No Severe Congestion”
Additional DIG (Operations) of the Highway Police, Muntasirul Islam, said every highway is experiencing extra traffic, but there are no severe traffic jams.
Speaking around 10:30am from the Kanchpur Bridge area on the Dhaka–Chattogram Highway, he said: “We have been working on the management of 94 congestion-prone spots for about a month. Managing these points was our homework. We requested additional forces, and 1,000 APBn and RRF members have been deployed at important points. As a result, we have been able to increase patrols.”
He added, “The major causes of Eid traffic congestion are the exit points from Dhaka, such as Bypile, Chandra, Kanchpur, and Kanchan Bridge, where major construction work is still ongoing. The roads there are not fully prepared yet. Rain has also affected the situation. We informed different government departments about these issues in advance.”
Muntasirul also said that senior officers are monitoring congestion-prone areas through control rooms equipped with CCTV cameras and microphones.
He explained, “At places like Hatikumrul and Gobindaganj, where traffic pressure is high, senior officers are present in control rooms to monitor the situation. CCTV cameras have been installed in Chandra and Hatikumrul. Announcements are being made through microphones, including warnings so that people do not fall victim to criminal gangs like Oggan party, Molom party (drugging or scam groups).”
He further noted, “During Eid-ul-Fitr, people mainly leave Dhaka. But during Eid-ul-Azha, traffic becomes two-way because cattle trucks also enter Dhaka from outside areas. I can see pressure on both sides. Last night we monitored the highways until around 2:30–3:00am. So far, we have not received reports of any long traffic jams. However, if it rains or an accident occurs, the situation can quickly change. Whatever happens, we are fully prepared this time.”
