84 curves, 9 level crossings create havoc

The 100-km highway from Lalmonirhat town to Burimari land port remains problematic for vehicular movement as there are as many as 84 turnings and 9 railway level crossings on the commercially important road.

“I am used to driving truck across the country, but I didn't see so many turnings and level crossings anywhere else. We use this route for transporting imported and exported goods from and to Burimari land port,” said Delowar Hossain, 45, a truck driver from Bogra.

“Now we need three and a half hours to pass the route. If there were not so many turnings and level crossings it would take at least one hour less,” said truck driver Nazrul Islam, 50, in Lalmonirhat town.

"So many turnings and level crossings makes droving risky on this highway," said Shariful Islam, 42, a night coach driver from Dhaka.

"I cannot drive my motorcycle smoothly due to the turnings and level crossings,” said Towhidul Islam Liton, a resident of Sahebdanga in Patgram town under Lalmonirhat district.

Around 2,000 vehicles including trucks loaded with imported and exported goods move on the route daily, said sources of Truck and Tank Lorry Workers Union and Bus Workers Union in the district.

Sources of Highway Police at Barakhata of Hatibandha upazila said quite a few lives were lost in several accidents, mostly at turnings and level crossings.

Lalmonirhat-Burimari road was constructed as the Burimari land port was opened in 1988, and this road was declared as part of the national highway in 1989, said sources at Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Lalmonirhat.

But the road got so many turning and level crossings due to unplanned construction work, they said.

Sources of Lalmonirhat Railway Division said RHD did not take permission from the railway authorities during the road construction and the latter is not responsible for many level crossings on the national highway.

Admitting the problem, Executive Engineer of RHD in Lalmonirhat Abdul Halim said, "There is a plan for constructing a four-lane road on the route. It would be much straighter in order to avoid turnings and level crossings."