The 13.5-kilometre stretch of the Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge Highway, from Elenga to the Jamuna Bridge, could once again become a major bottleneck for people travelling home for Eid. Although the project deadline expired after more than three years, only 50 per cent of the work has been completed. As a result, passengers often endure hours of traffic congestion on this highway. The suffering increases several times during the Eid travel rush.

Drivers and passengers fear that traffic congestion on this stretch will again disrupt Eid journeys this year.

The Dhaka–Tangail–Jamuna Bridge Highway is the country’s second-largest highway corridor. With the four-lane work from Joydebpur to Elenga on the Dhaka–Tangail Highway completed, people travelling to and from 24 districts in northern and southern Bangladesh can use this section without major difficulties. However, contractor Abdul Monem Limited has yet to complete the four-lane project from Elenga to the Jamuna Bridge, leaving concerns over traffic congestion on the remaining stretch.

According to drivers and passengers, congestion around Elenga Bus Stand in Tangail and the Jamuna Bridge area often spreads across the highway, causing severe suffering for people travelling home. The approximately 13-kilometre stretch from Elenga to the Jamuna Bridge could once again become a major source of delays during this year's Eid journey.

Project officials said Abdul Monem Limited was awarded the highway upgradation contract through a tender in December 2021 under the SASEC-2 project. The construction cost was estimated at Tk 600 crore. Work began in March 2022, and the project deadline expired in December 2025. A proposal has since been submitted to extend the deadline.

Despite the expiry of the deadline, only 50 per cent of the work has been completed. Construction of flyovers and underpasses is currently underway, while the highway, including its service lanes, remains unfinished.

A visit to the site revealed ongoing construction of a flyover in Elenga, with underpasses also being built at several locations. Piles of sand have been stored in the middle of the highway at some points.

During a visit to the flyover construction site in Elenga, workers Mofiz and Abdul Alim said they had been working there for the past five months. They added that work was continuing day and night following instructions to complete the project quickly.

Abdur Razzak, a driver for Ena Paribahan operating on the northern route, said construction on the Elenga–Jamuna Bridge stretch had been going on for several years, frequently causing traffic congestion. He said drivers did not know when the work would be completed.

“Whenever Eid approaches, the pace of construction is hurriedly increased. At other times, there is hardly any noticeable progress. That is why we fear traffic congestion again this year,” he said.

Another bus driver, Md Nannu Mia, said ongoing construction of the flyover in Elenga and work at several other locations regularly caused difficulties for drivers. The problem becomes particularly severe during Eid, when long traffic queues develop between Elenga and the bridge.

Hazrat Ali, a passenger travelling by bus to Bogura, said he worked at a private organisation in Dhaka. Every year, he faced traffic congestion and delays while travelling home for Eid. With construction from Elenga to the Jamuna Bridge still incomplete, he fears he will face similar difficulties this year.

Rabiul Awal, project manager at Abdul Monem Limited, said a one-year extension had been proposed following the expiry of the project deadline. He confirmed that 50 per cent of the work had been completed.

He said the service lane on the northern-bound side of the highway would be opened to traffic for this year's Eid journey, allowing vehicles to benefit from four-lane road capacity.

Tangail Superintendent of Police (SP) Shamsul Alam Sarkar said 1,000 police personnel would remain on duty around the clock along the highway to ensure that people could travel home safely and without disruption during Eid.

He added that unfit vehicles would not be allowed on the road and that police patrols along the highway had been intensified to prevent robbery.

/Dhaka, February 6, 2026/SA/