Kuala Lumpur city slickers, were you caught in mad rush hour jam yesterday evening as well as this morning?
Chances are, this (the crazy traffic jam) is going to keep happening for a while, unless if you take an alternative route. Why? Well:
According to The Star Online, part of the Sultan Iskandar Highway (formerly Jalan Mahameru) has been closed after a portion of the road sank, causing major traffic congestion in the city.
The depression was first detected on Tuesday (2nd June) and caused the closure of the highway’s left lane, just after the Jalan Damansara-Jalan Parliament turn-off. Since then the depression has got worse, forcing traffic to be diverted to Jalan Parliament.
Star Radio Traffic tweeted that the jam stretched all the way to Jalan Tun Razak:
1426 #kltu Sultan Iskandar Hway, after Parliament -Jln Damansara, is obstructing all lanes, Expect delays from PWTC off Jln Tun Razak
— Star Radio Traffic (@mytraffic) June 3, 2015
City traffic police chief Asst Comm Mohd Nadzri Hussain said repair works are being done.
“We urge everyone to avoid using this road for the time being and use alternative routes,” he said in a statement Wednesday (3rd June). He said road users can use Jalan Kuching, Jalan Kinabalu, Jalan Damansara, Jalan Parliament, and Jalan Tun Razak (South) as alternative routes out of the city
UPDATE (4th June, 9am):
In today’s report by The Star Online, Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib said it would take a week for the south-bound lane of the highway to be reopened. During a site visit yesterday (3rd June), Ahmad Phesal said contractors would backfill the affected areas with granular material to strengthen the structure.
“The settlement was caused by incessant downpour. Rainwater seeped into the soil of the undercut tunnelling construction, causing the sheet pile to slant, resulting in the road to crack. It will take three days for the contractors to strengthen the soil,” he added.
He also said that the contractors and project consultants had been asked to re-look at their construction methods and measures to ensure there were no long-term impact to the area.
The highway (after the Jalan Damansara-Jalan Parlimen turn-off) was closed on Tuesday (2nd June) evening following cracks and soil settlement on the stretch of road, which is a tunnel construction site. The new 2-lane tunnel will be built alongside the existing Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim tunnel, which has reached its maximum capacity during peak hours. Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim and Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar will be widened to accommodate the new tunnel.
The RM40.67mil tunnel project is part of a traffic mitigation plan by Kuala Lumpur City Hall and is expected to be completed by March 2016.
Source: The Star Online (1), The Star Online (2) / Featured image from The Star Online.
