Eid travel: Low traffic on Bangabandhu expressway, Dhaka-Tangail highway
Sparse traffic on the roads, with only a handful of vehicles, was seen breaking the silence of the deserted highways today
The Bangabandhu expressway and Dhaka-Tangail highway remained surprisingly clear on the eve of the Eid holiday even though homegoers are set to celebrate Eid with families.
Sparse traffic on the roads, with only a handful of vehicles, was seen breaking the silence of the deserted highways today.
The scene was consistent across the Bangabandhu Expressway and Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway today (10 April), bringing a sense of relief to travellers who can make their journey home without the usual hassles.
Since morning, while some long-haul public transport has continued its journeys, private cars and motorcycles have been conspicuously scarce.
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There was a sense of quietude at the Mawa end of Padma Bridge toll plaza. As a result, southbound vehicles smoothly passed through toll booths amid an eased traffic.
Amirul Haider Chowdhury, the deputy director of the Padma Bridge site office, said there was heavy traffic till yesterday afternoon but gradually decreased later in the day.
"With fewer vehicles on the road since morning, long-distance public transports are crossing the Padma bridge without any hindrance," he told The Business Standard.
Holidaymakers traveling to the country's northern region faced extreme congestion yesterday due to the high volume of vehicles. The Dhaka-Tangail highway came to a standstill.
In an effort to alleviate the congestion, authorities closed the west toll plaza of the Bangabandhu Bridge, redirecting traffic towards North Bengal and easing the pressure on the Tangail highway. Additionally, they closed the Dhaka-bound lane at West Toll Plaza twice for two consecutive hours yesterday.
However, the usual hustle and bustle today, just a day before Eid, was notably absent, with fewer people traveling, resulting in decreased traffic on the highway.
According to police, the highway experienced heightened traffic yesterday as garment workers and others embarked on their journeys simultaneously in anticipation of Eid on Wednesday (10 April). Consequently, today witnessed a decrease in the number of travellers as most intending to return home have already done so.
Minimal traffic was reported at the Rabna Bypass, Elenga, and Bangabandhu Bridge Roundabouts along the Dhaka-Tangail-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway.
Only a few vehicles were seen moving at a moderate pace towards the northern part of the country. Nevertheless, some individuals still opt for open trucks or pickups for travel.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) Alamgir Ashraf of Bangabandhu Bridge East Police Station said, "There is no significant traffic on the highway. Vehicles are moving at normal speed."
According to Ahsanul Kabir Pavel, executive engineer of the Bangabandhu Bridge site office, a total of 47,755 vehicles crossed the Bangabandhu Bridge in the last 24 hours till 12am on Wednesday. This resulted in toll collections of Tk3,30,99,400.
At the eastern end of the Bangabandhu Bridge, tolls were collected from 33,131 vehicles, amounting to Tk2,16,78,550, while at the western end, tolls were collected from 14,624 vehicles, totaling Tk1,14,20,850.
