KUALA LUMPUR: The development of elevated highways and the use of smart technology are among the key approaches to addressing worsening traffic congestion, particularly in urban areas, says Datuk Mohd Hadzmir Yusoff.
The Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) director-general said there is a need to develop new highways and adopt smart technology, as between 5.5 million and six million vehicles currently use highways daily.
“We are committed to developing the toll highway network in the country because of the clear need, particularly as many areas and cities are now facing traffic congestion.
“At the same time, we are also seeing a fairly high increase in traffic volume. Based on daily monitoring, between 5.5 million and six million vehicles use our highways daily,” he said during Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme.
Mohd Hadzmir said LLM is also placing emphasis on the continuity of highway network development while ensuring that projects are carried out in accordance with stipulated technical and safety standards.
On the New Pantai Expressway 2 (NPE2) extension project, he said more than 200,000 vehicles use the NPE daily and the highway’s current capacity is no longer sufficient to accommodate increasing traffic volume.
He said that as the existing three lanes are insufficient, there are plans to add two more elevated lanes, bringing the total to five.
Mohd Hadzmir also said the availability and high cost of land, including underground utilities, remain the main challenges in urban highway construction.
Owing to this, non-conventional design approaches and Industrialised Building System methods are being used to reduce disruption, he added.
“At construction sites, we will install CCTVs to monitor work and enable immediate action should any incident occur. With the use of such technology, we can enhance safety throughout the construction period,” he said.
Mohd Hadzmir said LLM is also advancing the development of smart highways by using artificial intelligence to automatically detect accidents and traffic violations.
Meanwhile, IJM Corporation Bhd (Toll Division) chief executive officer Chua Lay Hoon, who was also a guest on the programme, said the NPE2 extension project is crucial due to increasing traffic volume and its role in supporting 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.
Chua said the project is expected to divert about 40% of traffic from entering the city centre via Jalan Bangsar and reduce travel time by up to 20 minutes.
The RM1.7bil project is being implemented through a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) privatisation model without involving government funds, she added.
She noted that the project will also be equipped with smart highway technology, an integrated traffic monitoring system, smart cameras, and facilities such as rest areas and electric vehicle charging stations.
