Dhaka-Chittagong Highway Traffic Normalises After Bridge Repairs

Traffic congestion on the vital Dhaka-Chittagong highway is gradually returning to normal following the completion of urgent repair works at the Ashariarchar Bridge area in Narayanganj. According to officials from the Roads and Highways Department, the disruption was caused by necessary maintenance after heavy rainfall created dangerous driving conditions along the heavily traveled inter-district corridor.

Highway police and transport authorities reported that the ongoing maintenance required significant intervention at the Ashariarchar Bridge location. Al Rajhi, a representative from the Roads and Highways Department, explained that excessive rainfall had damaged various sections of the highway, posing serious risks to vehicular movement. Specifically, large potholes developed on the Dhaka-bound lane in the Ashariarchar area, prompting authorities to initiate emergency repair procedures.

Detailing the technical scope of the intervention, Al Rajhi stated that micro-concrete casting was applied to repair a damaged section spanning approximately five metres on the highway near the bridge. Because the newly applied concrete required at least twenty-four hours to cure and become fully suitable for heavy traffic loads, authorities were forced to close one lane completely. This temporary closure remained in effect from Friday morning until Saturday morning, with all traffic funnelled through a single remaining lane.

The restriction severely impacted transit along the crucial trade route, resulting in persistent gridlock throughout Friday. Officials from the Kanchpur Highway Police confirmed that intermittent traffic congestion stretched across an immense area of approximately forty kilometres, reaching from the Ashariarchar area in Narayanganj all the way to Iliotganj in Comilla.

Shafiul Alam, representing the local highway authorities, provided an update on Saturday morning regarding the clearance operation. He confirmed that the previously closed lane at the Ashariarchar Bridge had been successfully reopened to the public, allowing vehicles to resume movement across both available lanes simultaneously. As a direct result of this reopening, the severe traffic jam has begun to decrease steadily.

However, normalising traffic flow across the entire affected corridor has encountered minor operational delays. Shafiul Alam noted that because vehicles had been stranded for extended periods, many drivers grew exhausted and fell asleep at the wheel. Consequently, with vehicles not resuming movement universally at the exact same moment, the process of restoring complete normalcy to the highway traffic network is taking some additional time.