KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 11): PLUS Malaysia Bhd will close all 134 reload lanes at PLUS Highways toll plazas to the public beginning Oct 17 until Oct 19 in conjunction with the Deepavali holidays.

In a statement today, PLUS said it anticipates traffic flow at toll plazas will be a bit congested in view of the upcoming Deepavali holidays.

"To facilitate smoother traffic flow at toll plazas and reduce congestion due to users queuing up at the reload lanes, PLUS will temporarily close all reload lanes at toll plazas," it said.

However, PLUS said the existing reload lanes at the Bukit Kayu Hitam and Bangunan Sultan Iskandar toll plazas are not included in this closure.

PLUS managing director Datuk Azman Ismail said that on average, a top-up process can take up to three minutes per vehicle.

"As such, the temporary closure is crucial to prevent long queues at toll plazas during the festive season," he explained.

PLUS advised all highway users to ensure they have sufficient balance in their PLUSMiles or Touch 'n Go cards before they enter the highway.

The highway operator said the public can top up their cards at 9,200 other reload locations such as ATM machines, 24-hour convenience stores and petrol stations.

To recap, the same move was implemented during the recent Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, National Day and Hari Raya Aidiladha holidays.

"Based on our observation and study, the move was able to reduce traffic congestion at the toll plazas.

"That prompted us to continue the same approach this festive season and the upcoming festive season," said Azman.