Exit points home-goers' concern

Though the highways connecting Dhaka with other major cities are in a relatively good shape, people going home for Eid may face severe traffic gridlock at the capital's exit points.

Narrow roads, haphazard roadside parking, unplanned stoppages, plying of rundown vehicles and poor traffic management may cause traffic mayhems at the exit points, making the journeys agonising at the very beginning.

Parts of some highways are still in a sorry state and the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is working to repair those. But the efforts may go in vain if it rains in the next few days.

Of the exit points, the 12-km Uttara-Joydevpur stretch of Dhaka-Mymensingh highway is likely to see severe traffic chaos, as in the past.

It would take around one-and-a-half hours to cross Joydevpur intersection from Uttara, thanks to traffic mismanagement, haphazard parking and frequent U-turns.

However, once past this point, the passengers are expected to reach Mymensingh in about an hour and a half since the four-lane expansion of the 87-km stretch is nearly completed.

"Expansion of a 12-km stretch of the highway and construction of two bridges are still going on. This might cause some disruptions to traffic," said an RHD engineer.

Similarly, Chittagong-bound passengers may face tailbacks at Kanchpur, Sonargaon, Signboard, Madanpur and Sanarpar crossings after passing congestions at Sayedabad and Jatrabari.

To some relief of the passengers, 70 percent of the expansion work on the 192-km Dhaka-Chittagong highway, considered the economic lifeline of the country, is done. However, repair of a 12-km stretch at the Chittagong end is yet to be completed, which might make the journey require longer than expected.

Journey on these two major highways would have been much more comfortable had the expansion been completed by last June, a deadline set by the road transport and bridges ministry.

Although the two-lane Dhaka-Sylhet highway is expected to provide a smooth journey for the holidaymakers once they exit the capital, which wouldn't be easy.

The most dreadful part of the trip will be the one from Tongi Rail Station point to Narsingdi.

Alternatively, travellers can take the 300-foot Purbachal Road but it's still under construction and vehicles are slowed down by ditches and frequent bumps.

However, no matter what point the Sylhet-bound commuters use to exit the city, they might have to endure the usually chaotic Bhulta crossing in Narayanganj.

The bottlenecks at two points -- Aminbazar Bridge and Savar Bazar -- may make the journeys to the country's southern and northern districts agonising.

A U-turn ahead of Amin Bazar bridge will be another major hurdle.

Though expanded, the Nabinagar-Chandra stretch of Dhaka-Tangail highway might slow down traffic as both sides of the road are occupied by hawkers, parked vehicles and haphazard plying of rickshaws and locally-improvised three-wheelers like nasiman and kariman.

The two-lane Chandra-Bhuapur road near Bangabandhu Bridge may find it hard to cope with the heavy traffic during the Eid rush, as it did in the past years.

The rundown condition of Abdullahpur-Ashulia-Baipail road can add to the miseries of the North-bound people.

However, the newly constructed Birulia bridge and Ashulia-Birulia road, which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate today, may ease traffic on the route.

As for those going to the southern region, crossing the Padma through Paturia-Daulatdia ferry route will be the biggest challenge. They may have to wait for ferries for hours, even if the weather stays clement and ferries operate normally.

Some roads in Jessore, Kushtia, Magura, Faridpur and Chuadanga districts are in a bad shape. This may make the journeys on the other side of the Padma take longer than usual.

Smooth ferry service on Mawa-Kawrakandi river route is also a must for hassle-free journey to Barisal, Gopalganj and Bagerhat districts.

Passengers are likely to face tailbacks at Buriganga bridges at Babu Bazar and Postagola points.

However, journeys of the homebound people on any route may turn into nightmares if a vehicle breaks down on the road during the Eid rush.

This will remain a major concern for all holidaymakers, as a large number of rundown vehicles take to the streets to carry passengers during the Eid rush.