Dhaka traffic woes grow as expressway, metro rail, roads closed

Traffic in Dhaka is still affected by road closures and the lack of public transportation.

Despite moderate traffic in general, commuters are still having difficulty getting to their jobs, with the closure of the metro rail and elevated expressway today (25 July).

The metro rail and the elevated expressway have been shut down due to the damage caused during the recent clashes between protesters and law enforcement agencies over the last few days. As a result, pressures on city streets have increased, causing intense traffic congestion on major roads.

Major roads such as Bijoy Sarani, Mohakhali, Love Road and others suffered heavy traffic, however only a few buses were seen, all full as people struggled to reach their destination.

"The traffic pressure is even higher than yesterday as more companies, firms and organisations have opened up after the internet connections were restored," said Mohakhali Traffic Zone Assistant Commissioner Ariful Islam Rony.

"A few roads around the Ganabhaban are still blocked, which caused traffic to spill into the alleys and caused huge sufferings for office goers. A distance that would take half an hour is taking double the time due to the long detours and unmoving traffic," said Sumaiya Jahan, a commuter traveling from Mohammadpur to her office in Eskaton.

Asif Rahman, a journalist at a newspaper, said, "I usually start off for work around 7:30am. Today, I left the house an hour earlier thinking there would be traffic on my way to the office. Still, I am almost 30 minutes late. I'm still stuck on the road and don't know when I'll be able to reach office."