20-km traffic jam on Dhaka-Tangail Highway

A severe traffic jam stretching about 20 kilometers has developed on both sides at the eastern end of the Jamuna Bridge in Tangail's Elenga area, causing slow vehicle movement and significant delays. 

To ease the congestion, authorities temporarily closed the Dhaka-bound lane from the Sirajganj side at the western end of the bridge after 11:30 am on Thursday, following a decision by the local administration and the Jamuna Bridge Authority. 

Dhaka-bound vehicles were halted until around 1:30 pm, during which time northbound and southbound vehicles from Dhaka used both lanes to cross.

This measure led to spillover congestion on the western side, where a long queue formed from the roundabout to Sayedabad Mulibari, leaving Dhaka-bound passengers in extreme sufferings. 

Local police officials, including Kodda Traffic Outpost in-charge Saiful Islam and Setu Paschim Police Station OC Mohammad Aminul Islam, confirmed the temporary closure was implemented to reduce pressure on the Tangail section.

Syed Riaz Uddin, executive engineer for operation and maintenance at the Bangladesh Bridge Authority, explained that heavy vehicle pressure from Dhaka heading north and south created the slowdown over roughly 20 kilometers at the Elenga end. The lane closure was a short-term step to clear the backlog.

After about an hour, long-distance buses resumed toward Dhaka, with some rerouted alternately via the Gobindasi area in Bhuiyanpur upazila on the eastern side. 

A traveller from Ullapara in Sirajganj described being stuck for two hours at the Sayedabad intersection since 11:30 am due to the closure, as he urgently needed to reach Dhaka for his daughter's illness, highlighting the personal toll on commuters amid the ongoing disruption.