22km Jamuna Highway Gridlock Hits Eid Travelers

Homebound passengers leaving Dhaka for Eid faced severe disruption on the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge highway as a massive traffic jam stretched for around 22 kilometres on the second day of the holiday.

The congestion, which began on Monday night, extended from the Jamuna Bridge toll plaza to the Rabna area and continued until at least Tuesday morning, causing long delays and hardship for thousands of travellers heading to northern districts.

Officials and commuters said the traffic buildup was caused by heavy vehicle pressure, intermittent rain, and breakdown of several vehicles on the approach road to the Jamuna Bridge. The situation quickly worsened overnight, bringing traffic to a near standstill in several sections.

Areas including Gorai, Mirzapur, Tangail Bypass, Elenga and the eastern approach of the Jamuna Bridge also experienced slow movement and repeated bottlenecks as pressure increased during the Eid homebound rush.

Passengers were seen stranded inside buses for hours, while many others attempted to continue their journeys using microbuses, private cars, motorcycles and even open trucks as the demand for transport exceeded capacity.

Women, children and elderly passengers suffered the most as vehicles remained stuck for long periods under difficult conditions.

Traffic authorities deployed additional police personnel along the highway to manage the situation. Around 1,000 officers were stationed at different points to regulate movement and reduce congestion.

Law enforcement agencies also increased monitoring around the bridge area and strengthened patrols to prevent theft, mugging and other crimes during the busy travel period.