Smart Lane Not Implemented on KLK Due to Hilly Conditions – KKR

The Ministry of Public Works says that Smart Lanes cannot be implemented on the KL-Karak highway due to its hilly conditions.

The Malaysian Ministry of Public Works (KKR) explained today that the activation of the Smart Lane on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak expressway (KLK) could not be implemented on that route due to several factors, including the windy and hilly nature of the expressway.

Works Minister Yb Alexander Nanta Linggi

As reported by Bernama, its minister, YB Alexander Nanta Linggi, cited that several aspects must be considered before a Smart Lane can be implemented, with some of those being the width of the road shoulder and the geometric factors of the highway alignment.

“It is for this reason that the Smart Lane cannot be implemented on the KLK expressway because of the width of the road shoulder in the emergency lane is not sufficient for vehicles other than the windy and hilly route along the expressway,"  the minister said during a question and answer session in Dewan Negara earlier today.

Nanta was responding to a supplementary question from YB Senator Manolan Mohamad, who wanted to know whether the government has any plans to introduce the Smart Lane on the KLK expressway to reduce its congestion.

While Smart Lane implementation is outright not possible for the KLK expressway, Nanta said the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and KLK concessionaire ANIH Berhad had planned several short-, medium-, and long-term actions to overcome the traffic congestion problem at this highway.

Some of them include the implementation of contra lane channelisation at several key locations along the expressway, such as between Kilometre 64.3 near the Lingakran Tengah Utama (LTU) intersection, at the U-turn at MRSM Bentong, and the slip road to Genting Highlands.

Additionally, in response to Manolan’s original question regarding the government’s plan to introduce a minimum speed limit on expressways, Nanta explained that the current 110 KM/H speed limit on inter-urban expressways and 80 to 90 KM/H for highways in the city are already enough and suitable.

“The government is always working to ensure the quality of the highway infrastructure is in the best condition for the benefit of all,” Nanta added.

Source: Bernama