Traffic congestion is worsening on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway in Sarail, Brahmanbaria, despite the opening of a new Sylhet-Cumilla-Chattogram-bound lane. Two days after the lane opened, congestion persisted around the Sarail Bishwaroad junction. On Friday, long vehicle queues stretched from Berotola through the junction and Kuttapara to Bariura, with severe congestion covering about 12 kilometres. Some vehicles moved at a crawl while others remained stopped for hours.

Work to expand the highway from Ashuganj river port through Sarail Bishwaroad to Akhaura land port into four lanes began about eight years ago, according to roads, administration and police sources. The project, intended to provide transit facilities to India, remains unfinished. Slow construction and repeated work stoppages after the political change on August 5, 2024 have contributed to routine congestion in the Brahmanbaria section for the past one and a half to two years.

Residents and transport-related stakeholders cite incomplete construction, weak traffic control, drivers’ failure to follow rules and poor junction management. Some vehicles reportedly waited four to five hours to cross the roundabout, while an eight-kilometre journey took three hours. Highway police inspector Abdul Halim said ongoing development work and rule violations prevented a full improvement.