After days of Eid-ul-Azha celebrations, people across Bangladesh began making their way back to work this week.
Naturally, that meant traffic. A lot of it. The Dhaka-Tangail-Jamuna Bridge route saw the brunt of the post-holiday rush.
In just one day, more than 38,000 vehicles crossed the Jamuna Bridge, generating nearly Tk 280 million in toll revenue.
On Friday (13 June) morning, site engineer Ahsanul Kabir Pavel mentioned that they had tracked the numbers for a full 24-hour period, starting from midnight Wednesday through to midnight Thursday.
In that single day, a total of 38,539 vehicles crossed the bridge.
Of those, 16,380 vehicles were northbound, using the eastern section of the bridge. This flow brought in roughly Tk 129.24 million in tolls.
On the west side, 22,159 vehicles traveled southbound toward Dhaka. The toll collected from this lane reached about Tk 150.45 million.
In practical terms, about 26 vehicles crossed the bridge every minute.
If you were one of those travelers, you probably noticed the extra congestion. Many people took extended leave around the holiday and are now making their way back to cities and workplaces.
It’s a pattern the country sees during every major festival.
But was traffic heavier this time than usual? Hard to say. Pavel didn’t provide a direct comparison with past Eid periods.
Still, the toll numbers suggest this was a busy travel window.
The Jamuna Bridge remains a key link between Dhaka and the northern districts. During peak travel days, it often becomes a pressure point in the country’s road network.
Some drivers may have faced delays, although no official reports of significant disruptions were shared.
Will these kinds of toll figures continue to rise with each major holiday? Possibly. The country’s growing number of vehicles and travelers adds new strain every year.
If you plan to travel during the next big festival, you might want to think about timing your trip carefully.
And for the thousands already back home, the bridge crossing was just one part of a long journey through Bangladesh’s post-holiday traffic maze.
