KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — Elevated highways and smart technology are among key approaches adopted by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) to address worsening traffic jams, especially in urban areas.
LLM director-general Datuk Mohd Hadzmir Yusoff said these approaches are necessary amid increasing highway traffic, which has reached between 5.5 million and six million vehicles daily.
“Under the Madani Government, we are committed to developing the tolled highway network in Malaysia because the need is clearly there, especially as many areas and cities are now facing traffic congestion.
“We are also seeing a fairly high increase in traffic volume. Based on daily monitoring, more than 5.5 million to six million vehicles use our highways every day,” he said on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara segment titled “Needs and Challenges of Urban Highway Construction” last night. Also on the show was IJM Corporation Bhd Toll Division chief executive officer Chua Lay Hoon.
Hadzmir said LLM is emphasising highway network development continuity while ensuring every project complies with technical and safety standards from planning to execution.
On the New Pantai Expressway 2 (NPE2) extension, he said their observation showed that more than 200,000 vehicles use the NPE daily and the highway is no longer able to accommodate growing demand.
“With the existing three lanes, the capacity is insufficient and the level of service is at Level E, which is quite congested. Therefore, we will add two more elevated lanes, bringing the total to five lanes,” he said.
He said the main challenges in urban highway construction are land constraints, high acquisition costs and underground utilities,so non-conventional approaches and the Industrialised Building System (IBS) method are being employed to reduce disruption.
“At construction sites, we will install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to monitor works live and enable immediate action in the event of any incident. With the use of this technology, we can enhance safety throughout the construction period,” he said.
Hadzmir said LLM is also moving towards developing smart highways with AI to detect accidents and traffic violations.
Meanwhile, Chua said the NPE2 extension is important to accommodate increasing traffic volume and support urban development.
“This project will provide an alternative route for highway users travelling across southern Kuala Lumpur and offer smoother access to the city centre,” she said.
She said the project is expected to divert about 40 per cent of traffic from the city centre via Jalan Bangsar and reduce travel time by up to 20 minutes.
According to her, the RM1.7 billion project is being implemented through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) privatisation model without government funds.
“The project will also be equipped with smart highway technology, including an integrated traffic monitoring system, smart cameras and support facilities such as rest areas and electric vehicle charging stations,” Chua added.
