Continuous rainfall led to the collapse of a culvert in Chattogram’s Oxygen area on Wednesday night. The culvert was split in two, leading to large cracks on a portion of the road from Chattogram’s Number Two Gate to the Oxygen intersection.

The damage caused severe congestion, forcing vehicles to take alternative routes, which in turn triggered gridlock on the Muradpur–Oxygen road as well.

According to Sub-Inspector Shamsul Alam of Bayezid Police Station, the road near Starship Bridge caved in overnight after heavy rain began on Wednesday night. A police team has been deployed at the site to prevent accidents.

Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) Mayor Dr. Shahadat Hossain visited the site and assured that immediate repair work will be carried out to restore the road.

The culvert was originally constructed in 1980 over the Sheetal Jharna Canal. However, recent canal expansion work under a waterlogging mitigation project has weakened the road, making it vulnerable. The Chattogram City Corporation has since initiated efforts to repair the damaged bridge.

Locals said the road, built above a large canal, has developed cracks in several spots, causing it to collapse in places. One entire side has already caved in, raising concerns over the stability of the remaining portion. The damaged section is currently fenced off with bamboo barriers.

While waterlogging is common in Chattogram during monsoon, such large-scale road collapses are rare, residents noted. They believe that erosion under the road, due to the canal beneath, may have caused the collapse.