Advisor Faces Severe Traffic Jam During Dhaka–Sylhet Highway Inspection, Switches to Motorcycle

Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, advisor to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, got stuck in a heavy traffic jam while on his way to inspect the poor condition of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway. He was scheduled to visit the Bishwaroad area in Sarail upazila of Brahmanbaria around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

Earlier in the morning, at 9:30 a.m., Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan arrived at the Bhairab Railway Station on the way to Chattogram via the Mahanagar Express train. From there, he inspected the Ashuganj Railway Station by road. At 10:20 a.m., he set off from Ashuganj towards Bishwaroad in Sarail. However, near Sonarampur in Ashuganj, he was trapped in traffic for nearly two hours.

Unable to proceed by car, he began walking and later boarded a motorcycle in Bahadurpur to continue towards Bishwaroad. His special assistant, Sheikh Moinuddin, accompanied him on another motorcycle. The advisor finally reached Bishwaroad around 1:00 p.m.

Brahmanbaria’s Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Didarul Alam, Police Superintendent Ehteshamul Haque, and officials from the Roads and Highways Department (RHD) were present alongside the advisor. At the Bishwaroad intersection, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Mosharaf Hossain and Highway Police Superintendent Shaheenur Alam were waiting for his arrival.

According to local sources from the RHD offices in Brahmanbaria and Comilla, the government had decided to take effective measures after media reports highlighted the prolonged traffic jams on the Brahmanbaria section of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway.

Since Saturday afternoon, repair work has been underway at the Sarail Bishwaroad roundabout, where bricks are being laid in three layers. The roundabout area measures 12 meters in width and 185 meters in length, while the stretch from the roundabout to the Sarail Kuttapara playground heading towards Sylhet spans 190 meters in length and 10.3 meters in width. Around 400,000 bricks, produced in Dhaka, Comilla, and Munshiganj, are being used for the repairs. Work has been carried out continuously over several days with varying schedules, including from Saturday afternoon to late Sunday night, Monday afternoon to late night, and from Tuesday morning until night.

Ground inspections and conversations with RHD officials revealed that the government had set a 72-hour deadline to ease traffic congestion on the Sarail Bishwaroad stretch. By Monday evening, only 30 percent of the repair work had been completed, falling short of expectations. Since work began on Saturday afternoon, severe traffic jams have plagued the Brahmanbaria section of the Dhaka–Sylhet highway, extending from Ashuganj roundabout to Madhabpur in Habiganj, covering 34 kilometers.

Sarail UNO Md. Mosharaf Hossain said the highway had been heavily congested since morning. Army, police, and law enforcement personnel were working to alleviate the traffic.