Daylong chaos as expressway tolling slows traffic

Travellers have waited for hours in vehicles stuck in a tailback on Bangabandhu Expressway at Faridpur's Bhanga after the start of tolling, reports bdnews24.com.

The government opened four out of 10 counters at the toll plaza -- three for vehicles from the Padma Bridge and one to the bridge -- in Bogail after Thursday midnight, said Faruk Hossain, the official in charge of the plaza.

As the night wore out, a long tailback formed. After an altercation between the travellers and officials, the authorities opened three more counters at 11am on Friday.

The new counters eased the hold-up and movement became normal around 5pm, said Hamid Uddin, chief of Bhanga Highway Police Station.

Passengers, drivers and other transport workers said they suffered throughout the day in the traffic jam.

The tolls for the expressway are exclusive of the tolls for the newly opened Padma Bridge, which is on the same Dhaka-Mawa-Bhanga route.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the expressway, the first in Bangladesh, on Mar 11, 2021, over a year before the Padma Bridge opened.

The government has appointed Korea Expressway Corporation, a South Korean company, to oversee the Tk 110 billion expressway, collect tolls and operate its transportation system for five years.