Dhaka-Tangail highway sees long tailbacks during the last couple of days as vehicular movement sharply increased due to rush of homebound passengers and transport of a large number of sacrificial animals before Eid ul Azha. The photo was taken from Elenga in Kalihati upazila of Tangail district yesterday. Photo: STAR

Vehicular movement on busy Dhaka-Tangail highway remains suspended about four hours daily at Dherua level crossing in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail as 12 trains cross the point at least 22 times during up and down trips daily.
Consequently, long tailback regularly appear on both sides of the crossing, much to the nuisance of drivers and passengers on the important road that also serves as link between capital Dhaka and the northern districts.
After construction of Bangabandhu Bridge on the Jamuna River in 1998, rail track was constructed from there to Joydevpur via Tangail to introduce direct train communication between Dhaka and the northern districts.
The rail track, opened for train communication in 2003, crosses the two-lane Dhaka-Tangail highway at two places -- Kaliakair Bypass in Gazipur district and Dherua in Mirzapur upazila of Tangail district.
That time the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) constructed a flyover on the level crossing at Kaliakair but no such arrangement has been made at Dherua.
"During 22 up and down train trips through Dheura level crossing, vehicular movement on Dhaka-Tangail highway needs to be shut as many times. The gates of the level crossing are closed for around 10 minutes each time and so, around three hours and 40 minutes is spent for the purpose," said Motaleb Miah, one of the six gatemen working at Dherua level crossing.
"Two of us work in each shift and we have to struggle to maintain the level crossing due to huge pressure of vehicles on the highway. The vehicular movement almost doubles before eids," said Suruj Miah, another gateman.
Around 10,000 vehicles including passenger buses and goods-laden trucks of 23 districts including 16 northern districts ply the highway, said sources at the Toll Plaza of the Bangabandhu Bridge.
Besides, local vehicles and vehicles to and from Jamalpur and Sherpur districts ply the highway, they said.
Sanwar Hossain, officer-in-charge of Gorai highway police station, said they have to work hard to keep traffic normal as vehicles of 38 routes ply the narrow highway and tailbacks are created at different spots even on usual days.
"My bus often halts at Dherua level crossing and faces tailback on Dhaka- Tangail highway. The tailback can be eased if a flyover is constructed on the crossing," said Joaher Ali, a bus driver of Nirala Paribahan in Tangail.
Meer Lutfar Rahman, general secretary of Tangail district road transport workers association, said, “To ease tailback and reduce accidents on the highway, we at several meetings recommended constructing a flyover at Dherua, removing all the unplanned speed breakers and finally turn the two-lane highway as a four-lane one with road dividers.”
Ahmed Hossain Masum, divisional engineer of Railway (Pakshi), also emphasised constructing a flyover at Dherua level crossing.
However, Shawkat Ali, executive engineer of Roads and Highways Department (RHD) in Tangail, said the department so far has not taken any plan to construct a flyover at Dherua.