Highways ill prepared for Eid traffic rush

Construction works on the major highways heading towards southern and northern districts and repairs of ruptures caused by rain on other routes pose the risk of severe traffic snarl-up during Eid rush, sources said.
An official of the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) said though there could be problem, the government was already working to minimise congestions and public sufferings.
Currently, conditions of the roads on different routes are ramshackle. During extra pressure of homebound passengers on Eid vacation, it would be worse, a source in the RHD said.
He said apart from problems caused by construction of the major highways, it is difficult to carry on rolling, carpeting and other works for repairing and maintenance in the rains.
He said brick fillings are temporary solutions. During extra pressure of increased vehicles in the Eid holidays, the situation would turn for the worse with vehicles getting caught in tailbacks, he added.
Due to construction works on the main highways there have already been congestions on the Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh highways, another official said to point at what might happen amid outbound traffic rush from the capital.
He said traffic problems are usual fact during construction works on the busy roads but the problems could be solved.
An engineer in the RHD said local administrations can play a good role in avoiding long-tail traffic and gridlock on the highways and other routes.
He leaves a peace of advice for the local administrations as regards the exigencies: they can deploy their law-enforcing agencies so that the vehicles follow traffic rules and stop parking at congested spots.
Hafizur Rahman, project director of Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane highway, said the construction work may cause suffering to the greater Mymensingh-bound holidaymakers.
"But we are trying our best to avoid congestions on the 87-kilometre-long highway. At some troubled points we will deploy people for smooth passing of vehicles," he said.
The project director said, "Our overall construction progress is more than 48 per cent. So, in many places, vehicles will run easily."
He said the problems may not be that severe on the four-lane route. But, for other northern routes, the local administrations should work from now.
A construction company engaged in the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane-highway works said the overall construction progress on this route heading towards southern districts was not satisfactory.
He noted that the Chinese company's progress is slow. In many places, there are potholes and due to rain that made the roads vulnerable for traffic.
Requesting not to be named, he said in the coming Eid vacation there could be accidents and congestions as the highway is muddy and slippery at many places.
To avoid accidents, he forecast, many vehicles would slow their speed at the pitfalls and it would create traffic congestions.
According to an engineer in the RHD, in many places of the Khulna-and Sylhet-bound highways there is need of repair and maintenance works on an urgent basis for smooth traffic.
"Unless repair and maintenance works are done on the traffic-vulnerable roads, there could be severe congestion and sufferings to the people during the Eid vacation," he said.