Dhaka-Tangail Highway, riddled with potholes, may turn worse following recent rainfalls, police and transport workers fear.
The road which connects northern districts to the capital witnesses a heavy rush of vehicles before Eid.
Four of its lanes stretching from the Gazipur intersection to the Bangabandhu Bridge are under construction.
Police and transport workers fear massive gridlocks at Gaizpur intersection, Konabarhi, Chandra and Kaliakoir during the rush of vehicles carrying homebound people.
Police and the Roads and Highways Department have said their preventive measures may prove inadequate if further torrential rain occurs.During a visit on Sunday, the road from Gazipur intersection to Bangabandhu Bridge was found narrower than normal due to constructions works.
Roads along a flyover construction site in Konabari are in shambles, forcing vehicles to slow down. A truck remained immobile for hours at Konabarhi Bazar after breaking down midway.
“The excel of a wheel broke as the road is full of potholes. We have to risk our lives to drive on these roads. Vehicles can easily roll over,” said truck driver Md Amzad Hossain.
Buses on these routes start from Dhaka’s Mohakhali and Gabtoli terminals.
‘Shamim’, a driver of Kapashia-bound Shomrat Poribahan, said he started from Mohakhali at 7am but could not cross Gazipur intersection even after six hours.
Another bus driver, Idris Ali, said most parts of Konabari were experiencing heavy traffic.
Most vehicles are slowing down to evade potholes, thus creating the jams, he said.“The highest speed at which we can drive is 20 km per hour. So gridlocks develop very easily,” he told bdnews24.com.
Some drivers said local buses illegally park between roads to take in passengers.
“Some hundreds of buses illegally park at Bakpail, Abdullahpur, Chandra and Ashulia to pick up passengers. They are mostly responsible for the traffic jams,” said Jahangir Alam, a bus-driver of Bogra route.
“Trucks and covered vans slow down to evade pothole but the worst happens when they get stuck in one,” said Monir Hossain, a driver of Tanzila Paribahan.
Some truck drivers stop driving when it starts to rain; the illegal parking takes up a good share of the road, said Shahinul Islam, driver of Joypurhat-bound Salma Paribahan.
Workers of contractors appointed by the RHD were seen filling up potholes around Chandra.The official three-day holiday for the Eid-Ul-Fitr starts on Jun 25. The festival that follows a month of fasting may be celebrated on Jun 26 or Jun 27 in Bangladesh, depending on the sighting of the moon.
However, many are set to travel on Jun 23, which being a Friday adds a two-day weekend to the official holiday.
Police, however, flagged out the Kaliakoir Rail Over Bridge for traffic congestions.
Traffic sergeant ‘Enamul’ there said heavy vehicles take more time to get on the bridge and usually get damaged in the process. Then vehicles start to tail up behind.
“We have a wrecker which can carry weight up to 10 tonnes. We need to go and find another wrecker when a heavier vehicle breaks down,” he said.
Nahin Reza, executive engineer of Gazipur Roads and Highway Department, said meticulous repair work was on.“The recent downpours have made the situation worse but we will fix most parts of the roads by Friday,” he told bdnews24.com.
SM Badrul Alam, assistant superintendent of police of Chandra (highway), said: “We are praying for dry weather during Eid. If rainfall continues then nothing can be done.”
Extra wreckers were on standby this time, he said.
“The road along Chandra intersection is wider now. We have brought two more wreckers and there are four at the disposal of Gazipur Highway Police.”
Still, there have been cases when tyre of heavy vehicles broke down and goods had to be unloaded. The lengthy process led to gridlocks and passengers’ woes, added ASP Alam.
Source: bdnews24
