After the Eid-ul-Azhar holiday, people returned to work and several vehicles broke down on the bridge, resulting in severe traffic jams on the Dhaka-bound lane of Jamuna Bridge West Link Road in Sirajganj.
The traffic jam that started from dawn on Friday (June 5) spread over an area of ​​about 7 kilometers from the west roundabout of the bridge to Jhail of Kamarkhand upazila. Passengers and transport drivers have suffered.
According to sources, after the Eid holiday, a large number of people, including workers of ready-made clothing factories, started returning to Dhaka at the same time, so the traffic pressure on the highway increased several times. A three-way collision between a bus, a private car and a truck took place on the Dhaka-North Bengal bound lane on the Yamuna Bridge in the early hours of the morning. Although no one was injured, the vehicle was damaged in the accident. As a result, the lane is temporarily closed. At the same time, the situation gets complicated when a few faulty vehicles also break down.
Tapan Kumar Sutradhar, sub-inspector of Jamuna Setu West Police Station, said, “There has been a long traffic jam from West Toll Plaza to Konabari due to excess traffic on the Dhaka-bound lane. To bring the situation under control, the North Bengal-bound lane has been temporarily closed and arrangements have been made for Dhaka-bound vehicles to cross using both lanes.”
Officer-in-charge of Yamuna Setu West Police Station. Amirul Islam said, “The number of vehicles on the highway has increased several times due to the pressure of workers and common people to return to their workplaces after the Eid holidays. Due to accidents in the early hours of the morning, there is a major disruption in traffic. The police and related authorities are working tirelessly to normalize the situation.”
Commuters stuck in the traffic have reported long agony. Lalon Sheikh, a passenger, said, “I have been stuck for a long time due to the terrible traffic jam on the Dhaka-bound lane. The suffering has reached its peak.” Another passenger, Karim Uddin, said, “I am worried about when I will reach Dhaka due to the condition of the road.” “The situation is very bad,” said Samiul Islam Shubo, who was stuck for almost 6 hours.
Syed Riaz Uddin, Executive Engineer of Yamuna Bridge Site Office, said about the overall situation, “Three vehicles broke down immediately after crossing the western toll plaza. Work is being done with wreckers to remove them quickly. At present, traffic is being disrupted in both lanes of the bridge. Whenever any vehicle breaks down, a long queue is formed behind it. Today, the pressure of vehicles is also very high, as a result of which the crisis has increased.”
