Thousands of Eid travelers faced severe traffic congestion and rain on the Dhaka-Tangail highway beginning Wednesday afternoon, March 18, 2026. The gridlock stretched about 20 kilometers from Konabari in Gazipur to Chandra in Kaliakoir by Thursday morning. Many passengers, unable to find transport due to the rain and vehicle shortages, returned home Wednesday night and resumed their journeys Thursday. Some buses to northern regions took all night to reach destinations, delaying their return and worsening the transport shortage.

Gazipur transport officials said the congestion was partly caused by buses stopping in Chandra to pick up passengers, blocking lanes. The industrial police reported that 833 garment factories were beginning their fourth phase of Eid holidays, which was expected to ease traffic later in the day. Law enforcement agencies were deployed to manage the situation. Meanwhile, the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway cleared overnight after earlier rain-related congestion.

Authorities fined several transport operators for overcharging passengers during the disruption, helping restore normalcy by Thursday morning.