Keeping the loop free of jams

BY SHALINI RAVINDRAN

An artist’s impression of the Segambut Rest and Service Area (Segar) that will allow motorists to exit the Duke highway straight into three levels of basement parking.

TRAVELLING into Kuala Lumpur can often be a nightmare as 5.7 million vehicles are crammed into old and narrow city roads daily.

A new highway under construction is offering a solution with a twist.

Unlike previous approach that seek to overcome traffic congestion by constructing expressways leading directly to the city, the Duta-Ulu Kelang Highway (Duke) Phase 3 project is touted as part of a larger and more holistic approach.

Phase three, according to Duke developer Ekovest Bhd, will be the start of the Kuala Lumpur City Bypass (KLCB). Once fully operational, the loop that will include Phases 1 and 2 is expected to reduce traffic into the city by an estimated 53%. Hypothetically, travel time could be reduced to more than half, claimed the builder.

For example, travelling from the Karak Gombak toll to Mid Valley, a distance of 49.7km, usually takes more than an hour with traffic. But with the highway, the distance is shortened to 32km and potentially takes half the time.

The alignment of the 30km Phase 3 will connect the north and south of Kuala Lumpur, passing through areas that include Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Setapak, Wangsa Maju, Setiawangsa, Ampang, the Tun Razak Exchange, Salak South, Seputeh and Kerinchi. It will comprise a three-lane dual carriageway and will take three-and-a-half years to complete.

As with the previous alignments, the RM3.57bil project will be undertaken by construction and infrastructure group Ekovest Bhd, through its wholly owned subsidiary Konsortium Lebuhraya Utara-Timur (KL) Sdn Bhd (Kesturi).

The project, scheduled to begin by next year, is part of the Duke masterplan to complement the traffic dispersal system in and around Kuala Lumpur City Centre.

The ongoing construction of Phase 2 in Jalan Pahang heading towards Jalan Ulu Kelang.

Ekovest managing director Datuk Lim Keng Cheng said a holistic and innovative approach was used in the design of the KLCB.

“The KLCB is targeted at filling the ‘gaps’ between private and public transport services in the city.

“The aim of the overall alignment is to solve traffic issues while also improving connectivity between major roads and other highways.

“The entire loop will provide motorists with an estimated 50km of highway encircling the city centre,” he explained.

To strengthen and boost the use of public transport, Ekovest will build 10 park-and-ride facilities at strategic points along the alignment. These are near MRT, LRT and KTM Komuter lines in Segambut, Sentul, Setiawangsa, Jelatek, Chan Sow Lin, Phileo Damansara, Batu Kentonmen, Seputeh, Kerinchi and Salak South. Each facility is expected to provide between 4,000 and 5,000 parking bays.

“It would be pointless to build more highways that lead straight into the city as a traffic management plan.

“This will only clog up the arterial roads within the city.

“But having the park-and-ride facility near train stations, we hope to provide the last-mile connectivity to the city centre,” Lim said.

He added that the company had also proposed to the Government an additional 42 locations within the Klang Valley that could be developed as park-and-ride facilities. To kick things off, the company has started work on its maiden Segambut Rest and Service Area (Segar), which will be developed concurrently with its Duke Phase 2 project.

“The unique design allows motorists to head straight into its three-storey basement carpark from the highway.

“To inject life into these facilities, we will have commercial components such as food and beverage outlets, a convenience store and a daycare centre,” Lim said, adding it was set to be completed by 2018.

“The park-and-ride concept is not new, but what we are going to do is to build them along high-capacity roads such as expressways and highways.

“We incorporated ideas from other cities such as London and Melbourne, but localised the concepts to suit the needs here,” he said.

Construction of Duke Phase 2 is under way. The project will entail the an elevated highway to complement the existing Phase 1.

The highway will expand the existing Duke from two ends, connecting the east and west sides of Kuala Lumpur via a 7km link from Sri Damansara and a 9km link from Jalan Tun Razak. Lim said Phase 2, which had achieved some 42% of work progress, was expected to be completed by end 2016. It will feature the Sri Damansara Link (SDL) and Tun Razak Link (TRL), which will connect with the existing Duke 1.

Right now, Duke 1 connects the eastern side of Kuala Lumpur near Taman Hillview and Hulu Kelang to Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim (formerly known as Jalan Duta) but the SDL will enable motorists to access MRR2 near Menjalara in Kepong, on the western edge of Kuala Lumpur.

The SDL will start from a new interchange in Segambut, which is located between the existing Kuching and Duta interchanges on Duke 1 and end at another new interchange in Menjalara. Spanning 7km, the SDL will have one open toll plaza, two interchanges and a pair of directional ramps near Desa Park City.

As for the 9km TRL, it will link up with Duke 1 through the Sentul Pasar interchange as well as the Karak Link via the new Gombak Interchange, a new trumpet interchange providing access to Duke 1 from Jalan Gombak and Jalan Genting Klang.

For more information on Building and Construction event, please visit www.asiapacificevents.com