Aidiladha getaway traffic crawls on Karak, PLUS highways as LLM warns of worse jams ahead

“KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 — Traffic was building up across several major highways by midday today as motorists began travelling ahead of the Hari Raya Aidiladha holidays, according to the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM). According to Berita Harian, LLM senior assistant director of operations and maintenance Ahmad Kamil Abdul Halim said congestion was already forming along the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK), particularly from the Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) to the Gombak toll plaza, with heavier traffic continuing towards Genting Sempah at KM30.5. Traffic flow on the East Coast Expressway (LPT1 and LPT2), however, remained smooth and under control. Northbound traffic on the North-South Expressway was moving slowly between Bidor and Gopeng, with additional congestion reported near the Sungai Dua toll plaza. Southbound traffic also saw heavier volume between Senawang and Seremban, while an accident at KM94.0 northbound caused delays from Ayer Hitam to Yong Peng. Congestion was also reported from the Skudai toll plaza to Senai. LLM said 2.9 million vehicles used highways nationwide yesterday as holiday traffic began building up. Several stretches along the KLK and LPT1 have been identified as congestion hotspots, including routes between Gombak and Genting Sempah in both directions, as well as Lanchang to Bukit Tinggi and Lanchang to Temerloh. On LPT2, traffic is expected to be concentrated around the Kuala Terengganu toll plaza and the Paka rest and service area in Dungun. Along the PLUS highway network, congestion is expected at uphill stretches, tunnels and lane reduction areas, particularly around the Menora Tunnel stretch between KM267 and KM249, as well as routes linking Tapah and Gopeng, Slim River and Sungkai, Bukit Berapit, Bangi and Putra Mahkota, Nilai, Seremban, and several areas in Johor including Ayer Keroh, Pagoh, Yong Peng, Sedenak and Kulai. Ahmad Kamil said traffic volume was expected to increase in stages in line with peak travel periods during the festive and school holiday season. “For outbound travel from the Klang Valley, traffic is expected to increase between May 22 and 26 for east coast-bound routes, and on May 22, 23, 26, 28, 29 and 30 for PLUS routes heading north and south. “For return travel to the Klang Valley, congestion is expected to peak between May 28 and June 2 for east coast routes, and between June 4 and 6 for motorists travelling from the north and south via PLUS,” he said. Yesterday, it was reported that LLM expects daily traffic volume on major highways and connecting expressways to reach as high as 3.3 million vehicles during the peak Aidiladha travel period, which coincides with public holidays and the long school break. To ease congestion, Ahmad Kamil said LLM had activated 34 Smart Lane routes using emergency lanes — involving 16 locations in the central region, eight in the south, and 10 in the north. He added that contra-flow lanes would also be activated for east coast-bound traffic if congestion on eastbound routes exceeds 1.5km. “Concessionaires are also ensuring that no permanent construction works are carried out along contra-flow lane closure areas to guarantee the safety of road users,” he added.

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