Reza Mahmud :
Passengers from more than 20 southern districts as well as the adjacent areas of capital Dhaka have been undergoing untold sufferings for long due to endless gridlock on China Friendship Bridge on the river Buriganga.
A huge number of vehicles, most of them carrying passengers and goods via Mawa ferryghat, are seen struck in the gridlock from early morning to late night everyday on the bridge, widely known as ‘Postagola Bridge.’ So, people are now passing a very hard time in absence of any alternative.
Sources said, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is setting up pipe lines from Jasholdia water treatment project through the road adjacent to the 2nd China Friendship Bridge on the river Buriganga at Nayabazar point in the capital.
This on-going development work of WASA has closed the road for traffic from Ikuria to Kadamtoli through Nayabazar Bridge. At the same time, the Roads and Highway Department also started construction work of an elevated expressway from Ikuria to Kadamtoli.
Those development works have pushed all the vehicles to use Postogola Bridge, creating an endless tailback on both sides of the bridge.
When contacted, Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of WASA, told The New Nation on Saturday, “The development works of WASA are in good progress. I will be able to say details after few days.”
The sufferer people and drivers of different vehicles from the southern districts blamed mismanagement for the gridlock and untold sufferings of passengers. They said, if construction
work of any big project is started after completion of the four-lane Jatrabari-Mawa highway, then the condition would not be so worst.
They also said a link-road at Postogola Bridge’s jurain point is being used carelessly which also a major reason for the gridlock.
The stakeholders said, the link road is supposed to use for Narayanganj bound vehicles from Dhaka, only for one-way basis use. The transports come from Narayanganj are not supposed to use the link road to enter Dhaka. Those should go through the road under the bridge and turn to the road taking turn through in front the Shampur Police Station point.
If the drivers follow this, a major portion of the gridlock might be solved. But they did not follow it. The traffic police also found careless about this, they alleged.
Abul Hossain, a bus driver who used the Postogola Bridge for long said, “There was a huge traffic gridlock on the Postagola Bridge whenever the Nayabazar Bridge was opened. Now all vehicles from the Nayabazar Bridge route are plying through the Postagola Bridge. As a result, the traffic gridlock gets a worst shape.”
The people from the Jurain, Shampur, Postagola and Keraniganj are in acute sufferings for the day-night gridlock.
“Long route bus passengers from up to 20 districts of Khulna and Barisal divisions and a portion of Dhaka division are fall in the untold sufferings everyday for the unsolved problem,” said Shamsul Alam, a driver of a Khulna bound bus at Postagola Bridge.
The CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers alleged that there are huge uncontrolled matters liable for the endless gridlocks.
“The trucks are not supposed to ply on roads in city before 8:00pm, but there are huge number of trucks running all the day long on the bridge, also liable for the gridlock,” said Ekhlasuddin, a CNG-run taxi driver on the bridges at Hasnabad point.
The other bus and taxi drivers also blamed police for failing to stop truck plying in day time.
Passengers from more than 20 southern districts as well as the adjacent areas of capital Dhaka have been undergoing untold sufferings for long due to endless gridlock on China Friendship Bridge on the river Buriganga.
A huge number of vehicles, most of them carrying passengers and goods via Mawa ferryghat, are seen struck in the gridlock from early morning to late night everyday on the bridge, widely known as ‘Postagola Bridge.’ So, people are now passing a very hard time in absence of any alternative.
Sources said, Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (WASA) is setting up pipe lines from Jasholdia water treatment project through the road adjacent to the 2nd China Friendship Bridge on the river Buriganga at Nayabazar point in the capital.
This on-going development work of WASA has closed the road for traffic from Ikuria to Kadamtoli through Nayabazar Bridge. At the same time, the Roads and Highway Department also started construction work of an elevated expressway from Ikuria to Kadamtoli.
Those development works have pushed all the vehicles to use Postogola Bridge, creating an endless tailback on both sides of the bridge.
When contacted, Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of WASA, told The New Nation on Saturday, “The development works of WASA are in good progress. I will be able to say details after few days.”
The sufferer people and drivers of different vehicles from the southern districts blamed mismanagement for the gridlock and untold sufferings of passengers. They said, if construction
work of any big project is started after completion of the four-lane Jatrabari-Mawa highway, then the condition would not be so worst.
They also said a link-road at Postogola Bridge’s jurain point is being used carelessly which also a major reason for the gridlock.
The stakeholders said, the link road is supposed to use for Narayanganj bound vehicles from Dhaka, only for one-way basis use. The transports come from Narayanganj are not supposed to use the link road to enter Dhaka. Those should go through the road under the bridge and turn to the road taking turn through in front the Shampur Police Station point.
If the drivers follow this, a major portion of the gridlock might be solved. But they did not follow it. The traffic police also found careless about this, they alleged.
Abul Hossain, a bus driver who used the Postogola Bridge for long said, “There was a huge traffic gridlock on the Postagola Bridge whenever the Nayabazar Bridge was opened. Now all vehicles from the Nayabazar Bridge route are plying through the Postagola Bridge. As a result, the traffic gridlock gets a worst shape.”
The people from the Jurain, Shampur, Postagola and Keraniganj are in acute sufferings for the day-night gridlock.
“Long route bus passengers from up to 20 districts of Khulna and Barisal divisions and a portion of Dhaka division are fall in the untold sufferings everyday for the unsolved problem,” said Shamsul Alam, a driver of a Khulna bound bus at Postagola Bridge.
The CNG-run auto rickshaw drivers alleged that there are huge uncontrolled matters liable for the endless gridlocks.
“The trucks are not supposed to ply on roads in city before 8:00pm, but there are huge number of trucks running all the day long on the bridge, also liable for the gridlock,” said Ekhlasuddin, a CNG-run taxi driver on the bridges at Hasnabad point.
The other bus and taxi drivers also blamed police for failing to stop truck plying in day time.
