Thursday 28 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on September 29, 2017

KUALA LUMPUR: The plan to implement the multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system on all highways by 2020 is on track, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said yesterday. He said the ongoing pilot test of the gateless gantry toll collection system is progressing well.

The pilot test using the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology is being carried out at selected tollbooths located along the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway, Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (Duke), Kesas Highway, Federal Highway and Sprint Expressway in the Klang Valley.

“We have opened [RFID lanes] at certain tollbooths and issued stickers to about 8,000 enforcement vehicles such as the police and ambulance, especially in the Klang Valley. They are exempted from paying a toll in the trial period,” said Fadillah.

More RFID lanes will be launched in the implementation of the system in stages from next year, he said.

“The goal is in 2020 as a whole, we will [only] use MLFF,” the minister told reporters after launching the second alignment of the Tun Razak Link (TRL) which is part of Duke Phase 2.

Fadillah said the second alignment is expected to benefit about 25,000 motorists every day and solve traffic congestion around the city, especially in Jalan Tun Razak, and at the Jalan Pahang roundabout and the Jalan Duta Interchange.

The 9km-long TRL — the first alignment of which was opened on May 23 — starts from Jalan Tun Razak near the National Heart Institute and heads northwards along Jalan Pahang and Jalan 9/48A to connect with Jalan Gombak after crossing the existing Duke 1 at the Sentul Pasar Interchange.

Costing about RM1.18 billion, the Duke Phase 2 project is mostly elevated and comprises the Tun Razak Link and the 7.4km Sri Damansara Link (SDL), which will also be connected to the existing Duke 1.

“SDL alignment is in the final work process and is expected to be completed by the end of this year,” Fadillah said.

Duke Phase 2 project is managed by Konsortium Lebuhraya Utara-Timur (KL) Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Ekovest Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund (EPF).

Meanwhile, Ekovest’s concession for the Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway, a 29.8km highway which was previously known as DUKE Phase 3, is now under construction at a cost of RM3.74 billion.

Upon completion, it will traverse north to south of Kuala Lumpur and will serve areas such as Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Wangsa Maju, Setiawangsa, Ampang, the Tun Razak Exchange and the Bandar Malaysia development corridor.
 

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