United News of Bangladesh

Thousands of Eid holidaymakers heading to northern Bangladesh have started getting relief from chronic highway congestion following the opening of a long-awaited flyover lane at the Hatikumrul Interchange in Sirajganj. The newly opened Bogura- and Rangpur-bound flyover lane at the country’s key northern gateway was opened on Thursday ahead of Eid-ul-Azha to ease mounting traffic pressure on one of the nation’s busiest highway corridors. The Hatikumrul intersection serves as a major junction linking Dhaka with Pabna, Rajshahi, Bogura, Rangpur and Dinajpur, with thousands of vehicles using the route every day. During the Eid rush, nearly 52,000 vehicles – including long-distance buses – travel through the corridor daily, often triggering massive tailbacks stretching from the west end of the Jamuna Bridge to Hatikumrul. For years, the bottleneck turned Eid journeys into an ordeal for passengers, drivers and transport operators alike. But the opening of the new lane has already begun easing the suffering of homebound travellers. Hatikumrul used to mean endless traffic jams and hours of frustration during Eid travel, several bus drivers and passengers said. However, with the opening of the new lane, this year’s Eid journey is expected to be much smoother, they said. Sarfaraz Hossain, additional project director of the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Dhaka-Northwest Corridor Road Project-2, said nearly 60 percent of northbound vehicles will now be able to use the new lane, significantly easing congestion. He expressed hope that Eid holidaymakers will now be able to return home more comfortably and with less delay. The Hatikumrul Interchange project, being implemented at a cost of around Tk 738 crore, is expected to be fully completed by December this year. Police officials said special measures have been taken to maintain highway security and traffic management during Eid travel. Officer-in-Charge of Jamuna Bridge West Police Station Amirul Islam and Hatikumrul Highway Police Station OC Ismail Hossain said pressure on highways will increase due to the movement of buses and cattle-laden trucks ahead of Eid. However, they said the opening of the new interchange lane has already started reducing traffic pressure, while law enforcement agencies have strengthened monitoring and traffic control measures across the highway network. Additional police patrols, traffic teams and security checkpoints have also been deployed to ensure safer and smoother Eid travel, officials added.