PLUS: Fourth-lane widening project for NSE 62% done, completion by year-end

A file picture of traffic along the NSE at the Sungai Buloh rest and service area.

PETALING JAYA: A fourth-lane widening project spanning 63.3km of PLUS Malaysia's North-South Expressway (NSE) is 62% finished, with completion by the end of 2014 on track.

PLUS senior general manager (special projects and planning division) Suhaina Baharudin said the project was at its second phase, and lane closures would be carried out at night to achieve completion.

"Lane closure will be carried out every night, because we are at the peak of the project," she told reporters at Persada PLUS.

Daytime traffic, she added would not be affected by lane closures, adding that PLUS could not afford to do so.

However, she said that closures would not be carried out during the upcoming Hari Raya festive season, though works off currently-used lanes would continue during that time.

The project entails five packages, namely Shah Alam-Sungai Buloh (16.1km), Bukit Lanjan-Jalan Duta (7km), Sungai Buloh-Rawang (13.1km), Nilai Utara-Nilai (5.2km) and Nilai-Seremban/Port Dickson (21.9km).

According to PLUS, a fourth lane would upon completion increase traffic capacity on the five different stretches by 33%.

Using the Subang-Damansara stretch as an example, Suhaina said the number of vehicles travelling there would increase from 170,000 to 220,000 a day.

She said that night lane closures would be put off if traffic on these stretches were deemed to be heavy.

She added that at some areas, up to two lanes would be closed to traffic for works to continue, though PLUS would make sure that there were at least two "passable" lanes at any time.

"Traffic disruptions cannot be avoided, but we will try to minimise it as much as we can," said PLUS chief operating officer Muhammad Fuad Khusairi.

Lane closure hours will be carried out from Shah Alam-Jalan Duta-Sungai Buloh (Mon-Thurs, 10pm-5am; Fri-Sun, 10pm-10am); Sungai Buloh-Rawang (Mon-Thurs, 10am-5am); Nilai Utara-Seremban/Port Dickson (Sun-Thurs [Southbound], 10pm-10am; Mon-Thurs [Northbound], 9pm-5am).