Eid travel: Relief on some highways, suffering on others

Dhaka residents have begun heading home to celebrate Eid with their dear and near ones as the holiday rush intensified. With offices closed, pressure on highways mounted severely on the second day of Eid holidays yesterday (18 March).

Despite the surge in both passengers and vehicles, most highways remained largely congestion-free, offering some relief to travellers. A spot check until yesterday evening showed a mixed picture across key routes.

On the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, traffic moved relatively smoothly. Although there was some slow motion of traffic near Kanchpur Bridge, no major congestion was reported. As a result, passengers were able to reach their destinations without major delays. However, a shortage of vehicles led to long queues at transport counters at Sayedabad, TT Para and Kamalapur, forcing many to wait for hours.

Mohammad Shahinur Alam Khan, superintendent of police at Cumilla region highway, told TBS, "Traffic is lighter today [yesterday], and there is no congestion anywhere along the route."

A similar scenario was seen on the Padma Bridge route, where vehicle pressure increased but traffic flow remained uninterrupted.

In contrast, severe congestion hit the Dhaka-Tangail highway, particularly around Chandra. A 30km stretch – from the Gazipur Bypass to Chandra, Baipail to the Terminal, and Jahangirnagar University to Nabinagar – experienced heavy gridlock.

Highway police said the situation worsened from yesterday afternoon after most garment factories began their Eid holidays. Intermittent rain further added to commuters' suffering. However, the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway remained normal.

Highway Police Chief Additional IGP Md Delwar Hossain Mia said lakhs of workers were heading home following factory closures.

He said that daily traffic in the area had surged from around 5,000 vehicles to nearly 40,000, while passenger volume rose from 50,000 to nearly 10 lakhs. "Some congestion during Eid is inevitable," he said.