Roadwork delays trigger 25km tailback on Dhaka-Sylhet highway

Traffic on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway came to a near halt last night (10 July), with a 25-kilometre tailback stretching from Ashuganj Golchattar to Rampur in Bijoynagar, due to slow-moving road development works and unrepaired potholes.

The congestion stemmed from delays in two major infrastructure projects — the Ashuganj-Akhaura four-lane upgrade and the ongoing six-lane expansion of the same national highway.

According to the Roads and Highways Department (RHD), some 15km of the four-lane project falls directly on the Dhaka-Sylhet corridor. Officials admit that routine maintenance has been sidelined, which has worsened road conditions.

Travellers reported taking up to seven hours to cover the 15km stretch between Ashuganj and the Sarail-Bishwaroad intersection.

Meanwhile, Shamim Ahmed, the project manager of the Ashuganj-Akhaura four-lane scheme, said the project's delay is due to unresolved logistical challenges but added that emergency repairs on potholes are underway to restore traffic flow.

Hasibur Rahman, a tour guide en route to Sylhet, said his group was caught in the jam at around 3am and reached the Bishwaroad intersection at around 11am.

"It's unbearable," he said.

Another passenger, Rashed Miah, said the bus he was in failed to move even a kilometre in two hours due to the traffic halt.

Khatihata Highway Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Mamunur Rahman blamed errant drivers using the wrong lane and an unusual surge in traffic volume.

"We're working to ease the gridlock," he said.