Tale of two toll plazas: Traffic smooth on Padma, tailback on Jamuna bridge

Amid the Eid-ul-Adha holiday rush, two major exit points from the capital to the northern and southern regions of the country – the Bangabandhu Bridge over the Jamuna River and the Padma Bridge – faced contrasting scenarios on Saturday.

While a 13-km-long traffic jam occurred on the Dhaka-Tangail highway due to accidents and disruption in toll collection on the Bangabandhu Bridge, traffic was smooth and hassle-free on the Padma Bridge.

From Friday morning until noon, the toll plaza at the Mawa end of the Padma Bridge experienced severe congestion spanning around 8 km.

Saturday afternoon, a TBS photographer visited the Padma Bridge area and observed some congestion at the toll plaza. Later, the lanes were divided into two, which quickly reduced the congestion. By noon, the traffic pressure had eased, and by afternoon, it had returned to normal.

Traffic on the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Expressway and the Padma Bridge – the gateways to the southern region of the country – was normal until evening, with no significant congestion reported.

In addition to long-distance public transports, many individuals were travelling by car and motorcycle on the highways.

Vehicles stand in queues in front of the toll plaza of Padma Bridge. Photo: TBS

Tolls were being collected at seven booths of the bridge, with each vehicle taking 5-6 seconds to pay.

Mawa Traffic Police In-Charge Ziaul Haider said, "The situation became normal after Friday afternoon. Since Saturday morning, the people of the south-west region have been travelling comfortably and safely and this situation prevailed in the afternoon as well."

"Traffic congestion occurred on the highway early Friday morning due to cargo trucks being blocked at the weight scales near the bridge, resulting in slow-moving vehicles over an area of about 11 km," he added.

Ahmad Ali, toll manager of Mawa end of the bridge, said after the last working day before Eid, public and private industries, including garments, started Eid holidays on Thursday. So the pressure of passengers and vehicles was at least four times more than normal in the toll plaza area of ​​Mawa.

"However, at the seven booths, tolls were collected at an average rate of one vehicle every three seconds, allowing all types of vehicles to cross the bridge efficiently," he added.

On the other hand, according to highway police sources, the accidents occurred on the Bangabandhu Bridge during the previous night and early morning. Although there were no casualties, toll collection was temporarily halted.

Additionally, traffic jams resulted from overtaking. The congestion persisted until 11 am, after which traffic became slow from the Bangabandhu Bridge East Police Station to the Toll Plaza.

As the day progressed, traffic on the highway returned to normal, said Mir Md Sajedur Rahman, in charge of the Elenga Highway Police Outpost.

Additional Inspector General of Highway Police Md Shahabuddin Khan said, "It takes some time to remove the damaged vehicles and make repairs. This caused a traffic jam."

AIG Shahabuddin Khan said, "There are no issues at the toll plazas either. In fact, they can process tolls for about 100 vehicles in 5 minutes. However, when hundreds of vehicles arrive simultaneously, traffic naturally slows down. I don't see it as a major problem."

On Saturday, vehicle movements on various highways were sluggish, and there were occasional jams in some areas.

With most garment workers beginning their Eid vacation on Saturday, the highways in Gazipur were congested. The highest passenger and vehicle pressures were observed at the Chandra intersection of the Dhaka-Tangail highway in Gazipur and the Chandana intersection of the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. Traffic moved slowly in these areas due to the large volume of vehicles.

Passengers also experienced delays as buses running on Dhaka-Mymensingh routes struggled to reach Mohakhali bus stands on time due to traffic congestion.

A driver said, "Today, with the announcement of holidays for garment workers in various areas, many have started their journeys home. There are more passengers than vehicles in some places, causing cars to move slowly as passengers wait along the roadside. This has reduced overall travel speeds."

Gazipur District Superintendent of Police, Kazi Shafiqul Alam, said, "The volume of passengers on the roads has surged due to simultaneous holidays at many factories. In several areas, there are more passengers waiting than vehicles available, leading to significant wait times for transportation."

According to AIG Shahabuddin Khan, "Yesterday and the day before were the peak days of Eid travel, especially with 60% of garment workers being granted holidays. With lakhs of people travelling simultaneously, there was considerable pressure on the roads in Nabinagar, Gazipur, and Chandra."

He further added, "Despite some sluggishness and occasional minor jams on the highways, overall travel conditions are much smoother this time, causing minimal inconvenience."