Expressway accident worsens Dhaka traffic already strained by metro disruption
The suspension has forced thousands of commuters onto the roads, leading to visible gridlock across major routes connecting Mirpur, Tejgaon, and central Dhaka
Dhaka commuters faced a double whammy of traffic misery today (27 October) as an accident on the Airport-bound lane of the Elevated Expressway compounded the severe gridlock already caused by the suspension of Metro Rail services, severely worsening traffic congestion across key areas of the capital, including Farmgate, Karwan Bazar, Kakrail, and Shahbagh intersections.
The suspension forced thousands of commuters onto the roads, leading to visible gridlock across major routes connecting Mirpur, Tejgaon, and central Dhaka.
However, the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) has confirmed that efforts are underway to restore operations, with trial runs currently taking place after the replacement of the faulty bearing pad.
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As the metro service remains offline, the city is experiencing heavy congestion. Traffic is moving at a crawl on major roads such as Mirpur Road, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue to all the way to the Kakrail intersection.
Forhad Hossain, a traffic sergeant of the Ramna Traffic Division who manages traffic in the Dhanmondi and Banglamotor areas, told TBS that some parts of the city were experiencing bumper-to-bumper congestion. "Traffic on Elephant Road and around the Bashundhara City area has come to a complete standstill," he said.
Commuters are advised to avoid unnecessary travel across the central corridor and to allocate significantly extended time for their journeys, particularly in the areas surrounding:
- Farmgate and Tejgaon: Severe congestion is reported across all connecting roads.
- Karwan Bazar and Green Road: Gridlock is impacting both northward and southward movement.
- Shahbagh and Ramna: The central road network is heavily congested as commuters seek alternative routes towards the south and east via other modes of transportation.
- The Elevated Expressway's one side is shut due to an accident where a covered van toppled on to its side halting Mohakhali to Farmgate traffic movement.
Commuters should anticipate high demand and severely inflated fares for CNG, and other ride-sharing services until the metro rail officially announces the resumption of its full schedule.
DMTCL authorities stated that the bearing pad on Pier No 433 near Farmgate Metro Station, which fell yesterday, causing a fatality and halting services, has been re-installed. Trial runs were conducted on the line, and services from Uttara North to Motijheel resumed around 11:10am.
"The dislodged bearing pad has been reinstalled. Trial runs are currently in progress. The Farmgate station will be operational very soon," a DMTCL official told The Business Standard. "Once the trial is complete, train movement will resume on the entire line."
The official added that teams have also inspected the remaining bearing pads along the route to check for any similar faults, in an apparent effort to address the recurring safety concerns that have plagued the system.
Meanwhile, on the Elevated Expressway, a covered van toppled onto its side near the Mohakhali stretch this morning, forcing the complete closure of the Airport-bound lane and halting traffic movement from Mohakhali to Farmgate, according to Zia Rahman Zico, assistant deputy commissioner (ADC) of the Gulshan Traffic Zone. Rescue operations are currently underway.
The incident drastically worsened the city's overall traffic situation, which was already in chaos due to the Metro Rail remaining suspended following a fatal accident yesterday (26 October).
Ariful Islam Roney, assistant commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Darus Salam Traffic Zone, confirmed the cascading impact. He told The Business Standard that the partial closure of the Metro Rail caused traffic congestion to surge significantly at various key points across the city, including Mirpur, Gabtoli, and the Technical intersection areas.
The dual crises have led to prolonged suffering for thousands of commuters struggling to find alternative modes of transport across the capital.
