Malaysian Expressway System

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South section of NSE near Pedas-Linggi, Negeri Sembilan, facing towards Kuala Lumpur. (Before upgrading into six-lane carriageway from 1 July 2005 until 1 July 2007)

The Damansara Link section of Klang Valley's Sprint Expressway near Semantan.

The Malaysian Expressway System (Malay: Sistem Lebuhraya Malaysia), which begins with the North-South Expressway (NSE), is currently in the process of being substantially developed. It was built by private companies under the supervision of the government highway authority, Malaysian Highway Authority (abbreviated as MHA; also referred to as Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM) in Malay).

[edit] Overview

The expressway network of Malaysia is considered the best expressway network in Southeast Asia and also in Asia after Japan and China. [1] The total length is 1,499.5 kilometres (931.7 miles).^[1] and another 219.3 kilometres (136.3 miles) is still under construction. The closed toll expressway system is similar to the Japanese Expressway System and Chinese Expressway System. All Malaysian toll expressways are managed in the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system.

Malaysian expressways exist in both West Malaysia and East Malaysia, however, the former are better-connected.^[2] The North-South Expressway passes through all the major cities and conurbations in West Malaysia, such as Penang, Ipoh, the Klang Valley and Johor Bahru. The Pan Borneo Highway connects the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak with Brunei.

A few major expressways in Malaysia are part of the larger Asian Highway Network. The Asian Highway Network is an international project between Asian nations to develop their highway systems, which will form main routes in the network. There are two Asian Highway routes passing through Malaysia - Asian Highway Route 2 AH 2 and Asian Highway Route 18 AH 18.^[3] The Malaysian section of Route AH 2 consists of the North-South Expressway, the Jalan Duta-Segambut Highway, Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1, the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway, the Skudai Highway and the Johor-Singapore Causeway.

[edit] History

[edit] Interstate

The East Coast Expressway towards Titiwangsa Range, Pahang.

Before tolled expressways were introduced in the mid 1970s, most Malaysians traveled around Peninsula Malaysia on federal roads.

The major reasons for building new expressways in Malaysia are the increasing number of vehicles along federal routes, the opening of major ports and airports in Malaysia, and the increasing population in major cities and towns of Malaysia.

The first tolled expressway in Malaysia was the Tanjung Malim-Slim River tolled road (Federal Route 1), which was completed in 1974.

The Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway (Federal Route 2) was built between 1976 and 1979. Meanwhile the 900 m (-- ft) Genting Sempah Tunnel was the first highway tunnel in Malaysia, constructed between 1977 and 1979. The tunnel was officially opened in 1979 by the then Minister of Works and Communications, Dato' Abdul Ghani Gilong.

The first section of the North-South Expressway was the Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway, which was opened in 1981. The next sections of the North-South Expressway were the Ipoh-Changkat Jering and Seremban-Ayer Keroh stretches, which were opened to traffic in 1986. The Ayer Keroh-Pagoh stretch on the North-South Expressway was opened to traffic in 1988. All sections of the North-South Expressway were completed and officially opened on 8 September 1994 by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.

Other interstate expressway projects in Malaysia are North-South Expressway Central Link (opened 1996), East Coast Expressway (opened 1997) and Kajang-Seremban Highway (opened 2008).

[edit] Klang Valley

The SMART Tunnel, during a test on 29 January 2007.

The history of the highways in the Klang Valley started after the separation of Singapore from Malaysia on 9 August 1965, when the Malaysian government decided to make Port Swettenham (now Port Klang) Malaysia's new national port as a replacement for Singapore. As a result, the government planned to build a first highway in Klang Valley known as Federal Highway connecting Port Klang to Kuala Lumpur in the 1960s.

In the early 1990s the federal government decided to build more expressways and highways in Klang Valley because of the increasing size and population of the Klang Valley conurbation, development of new townships and industrial estates, and the massive traffic jams along Federal Highway.

The New Klang Valley Expressway, which was opened in 1991, is the second link to Kuala Lumpur from Klang after Federal Highway. In 1997, North-South Expressway Central Link, which is the main link to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) was opened to traffic.

Other expressway projects in Klang Valley are Shah Alam Expressway (opened 1997), Damansara-Puchong Expressway (opened 1999), Sprint Expressway (opened 2001), New Pantai Expressway (opened 2004), SMART Tunnel (opened 2007), KL-KLIA Dedicated Expressway (opened 2007) and Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE) (opened 2009).

In addition to Kuala Lumpur Inner Ring Road as the inner ring road in Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1, Kuala Lumpur Western/Northern Dispersal Link Scheme (Sprint Expressway and Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway) and Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 also act as middle ring roads of the city. Assam Jawa-Templer Park Highway (LATAR), Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway, South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) and the planning Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (KLORR) may form the outer ring roads of Kuala Lumpur.

[edit] Johor Bahru

The Johor-Singapore Causeway serves as the primary connection of Johor with the city-state of Singapore. Johor Bahru, the capital city of Johor, is visible in the background

The history of highways in Johor Bahru started in the 1980s when the city of Johor Bahru became a main southern international gateway to Malaysia from Singapore after the separation of Singapore from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.

The main reasons for building expressways in Johor Bahru are the increasing size of the Johor Bahru metropolitan area since it achieved city status on 1 January 1994, and the formation of the South Johor Economic Region (SJER) or Iskandar Development Region (IDR) on 30 July 2006. Many townships have been constructed around Johor Bahru and industrial estates have been developed in areas such as Senai, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang and Tampoi.

The first highway in Johor Bahru was Skudai Highway, which was completed in 1987. The Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing, which is the second link to Singapore after Johor Causeway, was opened to traffic on 18 April 1998.

Other expressway projects in Johor Bahru are Senai-Desaru Expressway and JB Eastern Dispersal Link.

In addition to Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road as the inner ring road in Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang Highway, Second Link Expressway and Johor Bahru Parkway also act as middle ring roads of the city. Second Link Expressway and the upcoming Senai-Desaru Expressway may form the outer ring roads of Johor Bahru.

[edit] Penang

The Penang Bridge was the first expressway in Penang.

The history of highways in Penang started in the 1970s when the federal government decided to build the Penang Bridge, connecting Seberang Perai to Penang Island. The construction of Penang Bridge began in 1982 and was completed in 1985. This bridge was officially opened on 14 September 1985 by then Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.

The main reasons for constructing new expressways in Penang are the increasing population of George Town and Butterworth since the Penang Bridge was opened. Many townships have been built in Penang and new industrial estates have sprung up in areas such as Perai and Bayan Lepas.

Other expressway projects in Penang are Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Butterworth Outer Ring Road, Penang Outer Ring Road, Jelutong Expressway and Penang Second Bridge.

A proposal for a second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan national projects. According to official news, construction work of the new Penang Second Bridge started on Nov 2007, and was targeted for completion before the end of the year 2010.

[edit] East Malaysia

The history of highways in East Malaysia started in the 1960s when the federal government decided to build the Pan Borneo Highway, linking Sarawak and Sabah state.

The Pan Borneo Highway project is a joint project between the governments of Brunei and Malaysia. The project started as soon as Sarawak and Sabah joined the federation of Malaysia in 1963. The lack of a road network system in Sarawak was the main factor of the construction.

There is one toll expressway and one toll federal highway in Sarawak - the Tun Salahuddin Bridge in Kuching city and Miri-Baram Highway in Miri Division. The Tun Salahuddin Bridge is the first and currently the only toll expressway in East Malaysia.

[edit] Expressway standards

Malaysian expressway code logo

Malaysian expressway logo

Malaysian expressway exit signs

The construction, standards, management and usage of expressways in Malaysia are subject to Federal Roads Act (Private Management) 1984. In Malaysia, expressways are defined as high-speed routes with at least four lanes (two in each direction) and may be either limited access or partial access. Most expressways in Malaysia are limited-access expressways.

Expressways are defined as high-speed highways built under the JKR R6 rural highway standard, as dual-carriageways of at least 4 lanes (2 lanes per carriageway) with full access control, grade-separated interchanges and high design speed limit of 120 km/h, allowing the maximum speed limit of 110 km/h.^[4] All expressways are considered as federal highways, but administered by Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and the respective concessionaire companies.

Highways, on the other hand, complement the national network of expressways and federal roads and built under the JKR R5 rural highway standard, with relatively high design speed limit (although not as high as the expressway speed limit) of 100 km/h, allowing the maximum speed limit of 90 km/h.^[4] The highways are built with partial access control, and grade-spearated interchanges and at-grade crossings are both permitted. However, it is possible for a federal or state highway to be built with almost equivalent standard of an expressway with the exception of lower speed limit, for example the Federal Highway. Highways can be built either as dual-carriageway or 2-lane single carriageway.

Before the mid-1990s, there were no specific coding system for the expressways. When more and more expressways were built, a system of expressway numbering was applied to all expressways. Expressways are labeled with the letter E followed by assigned numbers, for example the code for North-South Expressway southern route is . The expressways have green signs and the text colour is white.

However, there are some exceptions in some highways. Some highways like Federal Highway (Federal Route ) and Skudai Highway (Federal Route ) retain their federal route codes. In addition, there are some highways in Malaysia which are classified as municipal roads such as Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1.

The syntax for highway exits in Malaysia is in the format EXIT xxnn or EXIT xxnn, where xx is the expressway code number (which can be one or two digits) and nn is the two-digit assigned number for each highway exit. For example, Johor Bahru exit at the end of North-South Expressway is labeled as EXIT 257, where the last two digits (57) are the assigned exit number and the first digit (2) is the expressway route number (E2). Meanwhile, Jalan Templer exit at the Federal Highway is labeled as EXIT 224, where the two digits (24) are the assigned exit number and the first digit (2) is the federal route number (2), . Expressways have distance markers in green colour (blue for federal expressways and highways) placed every 100 m.

[edit] Expressways/Highways route number categories

[edit] Expressway route numbers

Examples	Information	Number digits
	Expressway route numbers	E01 - E99
EXIT 253 EXIT 1108	Expressway exit numbers	EXIT 201 - EXIT 299 EXIT 1100 - 1199

[edit] Federal route numbers

Examples	Information	Number digits
	Main federal route numbers	001 - 999
EXIT 226	Federal road exit numbers	EXIT 201 - EXIT 299

For more information, please refer to Road signs in Malaysia articles.

Most expressways are paved with typical tarmac, which is a mixture of fine stone chips and tar; however, some expressways are paved with concrete such as North-South Expressway Northern Route (from Bukit Lanjan Interchange, Selangor to Tapah interchange, Perak), New Klang Valley Expressway, North-South Expressway Southern Route (from Ayer Keroh interchange, Melaka to Tangkak interchange, Johor), SMART Tunnel and Skudai-Pontian Highway (from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia interchange to Taman Sri Pulai junction). Meanwhile at Federal Highway linking Klang to Kuala Lumpur, the section of the expressway from Subang Jaya to Kota Darul Ehsan near Petaling Jaya is paved with asphalt.

PLUSLINE 1300-88-2222

Malaysian expressway code logo with highway concessionaries logo and SOS hotline

[edit] Expressway monitoring and maintenance

[edit] Monitoring

Since 1986, Malaysian expressways have been built by private companies under the supervision of the government highway authority, Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (Malaysian Highway Authority). Every private concession company, such as PLUS Expressways, MTD Prime and the others have monitored and maintained their expressways.

[edit] Maintenance

Projek Penyelenggaraan Lebuhraya Berhad or PROPEL has undertaken repair and maintenance works on highway facilities, such as road works and repair works, road line painting, cleaning works on laybys and rest and service areas, trimming grass and landscaping along expressway areas, installing road furniture, and others. Meanwhile the Propel Response Team Unit is a special response team unit.

The Karak Expressway and East Coast Expressway are maintained by Alloy Consolidated Sdn Bhd.

[edit] Traffic management

Since late 2006, every expressway in Malaysia has been monitored by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) Traffic Management Centre (LLM TMC). However, in some parts of Klang Valley, the expressways are monitored by the Integrated Transport Information System (ITIS); expressways in Johor Bahru are monitored by Johor Bahru City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru) (MBJB) and those in George Town, Penang are monitored by Penang Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) (MPPP).

Malaysian Highway Authority traffic information page

[edit] Advertising services in expressways

• Big Tree Outdoors - PLUS Expressways networks
• Nilam Simfoni - East Coast Expressway networks

[edit] Toll system

Every expressway and highway in Malaysia has a toll system, which is either a closed toll system or open toll system.

• Open system - Users only have to pay at certain toll plazas within the open system range for a fixed amount.
• Closed system - Users collect toll tickets (North South Expressway issues the transit ticket and the East Coast Expressway issues the transit card) before entering the expressway at respective toll plazas and pay an amount of toll at the exit toll plaza plus the distance from the plaza to the Limit of Maintenance Responsibility (LMR). The toll rate in this system is based on the distance traveled.

The electronic toll collection systems, Touch 'n Go and Smart TAG, have been made compulsory in all expressways since 1 July 2004, following the instruction of the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu. Other electronic payment systems that were previously used by other highway operators, like FasTrak for all Gamuda Expressway Networks and SagaTag in Cheras - Kajang Expressway, were abolished in a move to standardise the electronic payment method.

[edit] Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF)

The Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF) is an electronic toll collection system that allows free flow high speed tolli system highway for all its users. With MLFF, the current toll lanes at toll plazas will be replaced with readers at gantry across the highway to detect vehicle and deduct toll using the existing Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) when fully implemented. The Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) is planning to implement MLFF system at all highways in stages starting 2010.

[edit] Toll rebate

Beginning 1 September 2009, the 20 per cent rebate given to motorists who pay toll charges more than 80 times a month, can be saved for up to six months. The rebate can be redeemed at 126 locations which would be announced in due time.

[edit] Malaysian expressway toll rate classes

The Malaysian toll rates can be considered among the cheapest in the world, says former Works Minister, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu. ^[5])

There are fixed toll rate classes for every Malaysian expressway except for the Penang Bridge and SMART Tunnel where toll rates are not the same.

Sungai Besi Toll Plaza on North-South Expressway in Kuala Lumpur

[edit] Toll rate classes for every expressway in Malaysia

Malaysian expressway toll rate list signboard

Malaysian expressways toll plaza with Smart TAG and Touch 'n Go lanes

PLUS Expressways transit ticket

Malaysian expressway toll receipt

[edit] Toll rate classes for Penang Bridge

[edit] Toll rate classes for SMART Tunnel

[edit] Facilities on Malaysian expressways

There are several facilities provided along Malaysian expressway as follows:-

The Sungai Perak Rest and Service Area, Perak of the North-South Expressway Northern Route.

• Rest and Service Area (R&R) - Rest and service areas (RSA) are located roughly about every 60 km (-- miles) along interstate expressways such as North-South Expressway and East Coast Expressway. However, some urban expressways may also provide RSA too such as Shah Alam Expressway, Damansara-Puchong Expressway and the Guthrie Corridor Expressway. A typical RSA may have a food court, fruit stall, craft shop, public toilets and baths, public telephones, huts (wakaf), petrol stations and also prayer rooms (surau) for Muslims. Some RSAs may have ATM machines, motels like "Highway Inn", convenience shops such as "Highway Mart" and "7-Eleven", fast food restaurants and a food court. The wireless broadband internet facility is now available in RSAs and the Tapah RSA in Perak became the first RSA on a Malaysian expressway to provide wireless broadband internet facilities.
• Layby (P) - Laybys are basic parking lots beside the expressways that may also have public toilets and baths, fruit stall, huts (wakaf) and public telephones. However, some laybys may have a few food stalls and petrol stations. Usually, there are about 2 laybys in between every 2 RSAs.

Map of major expressway routes in Peninsular Malaysia.

• Overhead restaurants (R&R) - Overhead restaurants are special RSAs with restaurants above the expressway. Unlike typical laybys and RSAs which are only accessible in one-way direction only, an overhead restaurant is accessible from both directions of the expressway. Currently, there are 3 overhead bridges in Malaysia - Sungai Buloh (North-South Expressway Northern Route), Ayer Keroh (North-South Expressway Southern Route) and USJ (North-South Expressway Central Link). The PLUS Art Gallery is located in Ayer Keroh Overhead Bridge Restaurant.
• Customer Service Centre (CSC) - Every toll plaza in Malaysia has a customer service centre. This centre includes highway maps, toll fare lists, information counters, Touch 'n Go cards reload counters, Touch 'n Go and Smart TAG sales counters and many more.
• Touch ‘n Go Drive-Through Purchase and Refill card lane (POS) (TnG POS) - Touch 'n Go card users can refill and purchase new Touch 'n Go card directly from the lane without the hassle of going to customer service centres. This Touch 'n Go POS lane are available at all expressways on the PLUS Expressway network.
• Vista point (V) - Vista points are special parking areas that allow motorists to see scenic views of the expressway, only available at Senawang (both directions) and Ipoh (north bound only).
• Motorcycle shelter - Motorcycle shelters provide protection and shelter for motorcyclists against heavy rains. Usually, most motorcycles are located below overhead bridges, but some motorcycle shelters may be special booths.
• Motorcycle lane - In some parts of the whole expressway, there is an additional lane designated for motorcycles. These lanes are usually about half the width of a normal lane on the North-South expressway and are positioned on the extreme left side of the main carriageway for each direction of travel. These special lanes are found in Shah Alam Expressway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Federal Highway and Guthrie Corridor Expressway
• Emergency phones - Emergency phones are located every 2 km along interstate expressways, useful if there are some breakdowns on the expressway. Attendants from the nearest toll plaza will tow the broken cars to the nearest workshops.
• Tunnel emergency exits (Ventilation/ escape shafts) - Tunnel emergency exits are located every 1 km along expressway tunnels, such as SMART Tunnel, Penchala Tunnel on Sprint Expressway, Menora Tunnel on North-South Expressway and Genting Sempah Tunnel on Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway.
• Highway hotline service - Every expressway have a hotline service.
• Highway patrol unit - Every expressway have a highway patrol unit.
• Highway helicopter patrol unit - These unit is also available at all PLUS Expressway networks only.
• Integrated Transport Information System - The Integrated Transport Information System is comprised of a number of traffic monitoring systems such as Traffic CCTV, Variable Message Systems (VMS) and Vehicles Breakdown Sensors. This system is normally found in the Klang Valley and Johor Bahru.
• Road Transport Department (JPJ) Enforcement Stations - These stations can be found at Karak Expressway and East Coast Expressway. These JPJ enforcement stations have weighing bridges to detect heavy vehicles.
• Police Watch Tower - These towers can be found at all interstate expressways in Malaysia to monitored traffic situations during festive seasons.
• Warning lights - These yellow light can be found at the hazardous and accident areas.

[edit] Types of expressway interchanges in Malaysia

These are the different types of expressway interchanges in Malaysia:

• Trumpet interchange - It is usually found in every closed toll system expressway like the North-South Expressway and East Coast Expressway. The trumpet design is popular as a highway exit with toll booths for the closed toll system because of the minimum construction cost of its toll booths.
• Cloverleaf interchange - It is more popular in Malaysia to link two overlapping expressways because of its relatively cheaper cost. The biggest cloverleaf highway interchange in Malaysia is Bulatan Darul Ehsan a.k.a. Shah Alam Cloverleaf Interchange of Federal Highway in Shah Alam, Selangor.
• Diamond Interchange - It is more popular in Malaysia to join the expressway crossing over municipal roads.
• Multi-Level Stacked Diamond Interchange - It is a diamond interchange upgraded into a multi-level interchange. Examples include the Bandar Sunway Interchange between Damansara-Puchong Expressway and New Pantai Expressway in Petaling Jaya.
• Diverging diamond interchange - It is a rare type of diamond interchange which involve temporary lane changes, i.e. from left-hand traffic to right and then back to the left. Like SPUI, it allows traffic from 2 opposite directions to turn right at the same time but it does not allow traffic to go straight. Examples include the Freescale Interchange at Damansara-Puchong Expressway.
• Single-point urban interchange (SPUI) - A SPUI interchange is nearly similar with a typical diamond interchange but it allows traffic from 2 opposite directions to turn right at the same time; however, it doesn't allow traffic to go straight. Examples include the Danga City Mall interchange at Skudai Highway / Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road.
• Roundabout interchange - It is more popular in Malaysia
• Parclo interchange - An example of this is the Port Dickson Interchange on the North-South Expressway and Kapar Interchange on the New North Klang Straits Bypass.
• Directional T interchange - These interchanges are found at Nilai North and Nilai Interchanges of North-South Expressway and also Setia Alam Interchange and Bukit Lanjan Interchange on New Klang Valley Expressway.
• Stacked Interchange - Examples of these are the Penchala Interchange on the Damansara-Puchong Expressway and Penchala Link of the Sprint Expressway.
• Multi-Level Stacked Interchange - Examples of these are the Ampang Interchange on the Jalan Ampang and the Ampang flyover of the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2.
• Multi-Level Stacked Roundabout - There are three-level and four-level roundabouts found in Malaysia. Examples of four-level roundabouts include the Segambut Interchange of Kuala Lumpur-Rawang Highway and Kewajipan Interchange of New Pantai Expressway.
• Double U-Turn Interchange - These interchanges found at Tampoi North interchange on the Skudai Highway and Pasir Gudang Highway.
• Left in/left out (LILO) junction - These junctions restrict the ingress and egress of the minor roads; they only permit left-turn entries. To turn to opposite direction, motorists may need to make a U-turn on the expressway. These junctions are very common in urban expressways such as in Sungai Besi Expressway and Damansara-Puchong Expressway.

[edit] Safety

[edit] Speed limits

Two-Lane 110 km/h of North-South Expressway near Tangkak, Johor.

The default National Speed Limit on Malaysian expressways is 110 km/h (70 mph), but in certain areas a lower speed limit (such as 90 km/h (55 mph) or 80 km/h (50 mph)) is applied, especially in large urban areas, crosswinds, heavy traffic and in dangerous mountainous routes and 60km/h is applied 1km before the toll plaza Speed traps are also deployed by the Malaysian police at many places along the expressways.

[edit] Type of vehicles which are not allowed to enter the expressway

[edit] PLUS expressway networks and East Coast Expressway (ECE)

• Bicycles
• Steam roller
• Tractors
• Excavators and backhoes

[edit] Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH)

• Motorcycles and bicycles

[edit] Maju Expressway (MEX) (Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Expressway (KLPE))

• Bicycles*

[edit] SMART Tunnel

• Motorcycles and bicycles
• Bus
• Steam roller
• Heavy vehicles like lorries, traliers, etc
• Tractors
• Excavators and backhoes

[edit] Accidents

Malaysian expressways are potential sites of fatal highway accidents in Malaysia, especially during festive seasons. However, according to police statistics, most road accidents in Malaysia happen on federal, state, and municipal roads. Most road accidents are caused by the attitude of certain road users who drive dangerously over the speed limit.

[edit] List of accident-prone areas in Malaysian tolled expressways and highways

• km 25 of Gunung Pulai near Kulai, Johor on North-South Expressway Southern route
• km 171 to 141 of Tangkak - Pagoh stretch on North-South Expressway Southern route
• km of Jalan Duta toll plaza, Kuala Lumpur on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km 256 of Jelapang toll plaza, Perak on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km --- to --- of North-South Expressway Northern route from Menora Tunnel to Sungai Perak Rest and Service Area, Perak
• km 31 of Gombak, Selangor on Karak Expressway (not far from Genting Sempah Tunnel).
• Sungai Besi sharp corner flyover bridge from Jalan Dewan Bahasa (formerly Jalan Lapangan Terbang) on Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1 towards Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway.
• km of Kelana Jaya on Damansara-Puchong Expressway near Kelana Jaya LRT stations.
• km of Puchong on Damansara-Puchong Expressway near Tractors Malaysia.
• km of Damansara Utama-Section 14 on Sprint Expressway.
• Subang Jaya aka Persiaran Tujuan Interchange on the railway bridge corner (from Kuala Lumpur to Subang Jaya) at the exit of Federal Highway.

[edit] During festive seasons

During festive seasons such as Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Christmas and Hari Raya, activities such as construction, road repairs and maintenance works have been temporarily stopped to ensure a smoother traffic flow on the expressways. Meanwhile, heavy goods vehicles such as logging trucks, cement trucks, container trucks, construction materials trucks and other heavy goods vehicles (except tanker lorry, provision goods truck, crane, tow truck, fire engine, ambulance, etc) are banned from using roads, highways and expressways during festive seasons. A massive nationwide operation known as Ops Sikap is held annually by the Malaysian police to ensure safety on all roads in Malaysia during festive seasons.

[edit] Natural hazards

Other hazardous conditions on expressways include landslides, crosswinds, fog, storms, road damages, paddy (jerami) burning activities and flash floods.

[edit] List of landslide-prone areas

• km of Bukit Lanjan-Jalan Duta on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km of Bukit Lanjan between Kota Damansara-Bukit Lanjan on New Klang Valley Expressway
• km of Gua Tempurung between Gopeng-Tapah on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km of Bukit Merah between Bukit Merah-Taiping (Utara) on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km of Sungai Perak-Jelapang Toll Plaza on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km of Bukit Berapit between Changkat Jering-Kuala Kangsar on North-South Expressway Northern route
• km of Gombak-Genting Sempah on Karak Expressway
• km of Bukit Tinggi-Bentong on Karak Expressway
• km of Gunung Ma'okil between Pagoh-Yong Peng on North-South Expressway Southern route
• km of Puchong-Seri Kembangan on Damansara-Puchong Expressway near Puchong Selatan toll plaza.
• km 15 of Skudai-Senai (Utara) on North-South Expressway Southern route near Skudai toll plaza.

[edit] List of crosswind-prone areas

• km of Senawang-Pedas/Linggi on North-South Expressway Southern route
• km of Alor Gajah-Ayer Keroh on North-South Expressway Southern route
• km along East Coast Expressway

[edit] List of flash flood-prone areas

• km 15 of Batu Tiga Interchange on Federal Highway
• km of Shah Alam Interchange on New Klang Valley Expressway
• km of Sungai Besi on Sungai Besi Expressway near Razak Mansion
• km of Seberang Jaya Interchange underpass on Butterworth-Kulim Expressway near Carrefour Seberang Jaya
• km of Alor Star - Jitra of the North-South Expressway Northern Route

[edit] Controversial issues

There are several controversial issues regarding the construction of expressways. The main issue is the increase of toll rates which can be a huge burden especially for residents of Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley conurbation.

There are also various parties who question the capability of the numerous expressways in Klang Valley to overcome traffic congestion, which does not show signs of improvement with the construction of new expressways.

Other controversial issues include the cracks found on beams on the Kepong Flyover in Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) on 10 Aug 2004 and the flyover which collapsed on Setia Alam Interchange in New Klang Valley Expressway during construction on 10 July 2005.

[edit] Interesting facts

• PLUS Expressway Berhad is the biggest highway concessionaries operator company in Malaysia, also the largest listed toll expressway operator in Southeast Asia, Asia, and the eighth largest in the world. The second biggest is Prolintas.
• The longest bridge in Malaysia is Penang Bridge with a total length 13.5 km (8.4 miles).
• The longest expressway in Malaysia is North-South Expressway with a total length 966 km (600 miles).
• The most expensive section of the expressway is the Gopeng-Tapah section on the North-South Expressway Northern Route . At RM200 million, it translates to RM 20 million per kilometre. Embankment strengthening is the major contributor for this escalating cost.
• The widest toll plaza in Malaysia is Sungai Besi toll plaza in North-South Expressway Southern Route with over 18 lanes (excluding additional toll booths).
• The North-South Expressway is the first expressway in Malaysia that provided an Overhead Bridge Restaurant (OBR).
• The busiest expressway in Malaysia is Federal Highway route from Klang to Kuala Lumpur
• Federal Highway route is the first highway in Malaysia to have a motorcycle lane.
• The first highway tunnel in Malaysia is Genting Sempah Tunnel on Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway .
• The first elevated highway in Malaysia is Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH) .
• The longest flyover bridge in Malaysia is Batu Tiga Flyover on North-South Expressway Central Link .
• SMART Tunnel (4 km (2.5 miles)) is the longest motorway tunnel, as well as the first double-decked tunnel and the first tunnel that has a stormwater tunnel and a motorway tunnel in Malaysia.
• The widest tunnel in Malaysia is Penchala Tunnel on Penchala Link of Sprint Expressway .
• The first expressway with double-decked carriageway in Malaysia is Kerinchi Link on Sprint Expressway .
• The biggest cloverleaf highway interchange in Malaysia is Bulatan Darul Ehsan of Federal Highway route and Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway in Shah Alam, Selangor.
• The largest highway interchange in Malaysia is Gelugor Complex Interchange at Penang Bridge .
• The ELITE Speedway, a go-kart circuit, is near the USJ Rest and Service Area on North-South Expressway Central Link .
• Tapah Rest and Service Area (both bound) on North-South Expressway Northern Route in Perak is the first rest and service area in the Malaysian expressway to have wireless broadband internet facilities.
• The PLUS Art Gallery in Ayer Keroh Overhead Bridge Restaurant (OBR) North-South Expressway Southern Route is the first highway art gallery in Malaysia.
• The largest advertising board on the Malaysian expressways is the Giant Wau Kite Spectacular Advertising Board on the North-South Expressway Southern Route near Sungai Besi and the North-South Expressway Central Link near Putrajaya.
• While most toll expressways in Malaysia use green signboards with white letters, the MetaCorp expressway networks (East-West Link Expressway and Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway) use blue signboards instead, as if they are municipal expressways.
• Before 2007, all federally-funded expressways have no exit numbering system; however, the exit number system similar to toll expressways was introduced in 2007 exclusively for Federal Highway route (then followed by the Putrajaya-Cyberjaya Expressway route ); thus making the Federal Highway as the first federal expressway with expressway exit numbering system.
• Tun Salahuddin Bridge is the first and currently the only toll expressway in the East Malaysia, while almost all toll expressways are built in the Peninsular Malaysia. The Tun Salahuddin Bridge is also the only toll expressway without any grade-separated interchanges.
• The Machap Rest and Service Area (north bound) at the North-South Expressway Southern Route is the first fully air-conditioned rest area in Malaysia.
• Putrajaya-Cyberjaya Expressway route is the first future federal highway on Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).
• PLUSMiles is the first and only toll rebate loyalty programme in the Malaysian expressways.
• Shah Alam is the first and currently the only city in Malaysia to have its own municipal route numbering system, while other municipal routes in Malaysia do not bear any route numbering scheme.
• The longest closed toll collection system coverage in Malaysia is from Juru toll plaza to Skudai toll plaza (previously Ipoh South toll plaza to Skudai toll plaza), which runs through the North-South Expressway Northern Route , New Klang Valley Expressway , North-South Expressway Central Link and North-South Expressway Southern Route .

[edit] List of expressways and highways in Malaysia

See also: List of Expressways and Highways in Malaysia.

[edit] Malaysian expressways in popular culture

[edit] Films

These films were filmed mainly on Malaysian expressways:

[edit] Televisions

[edit] Dramas

[edit] Documentary

[edit] Video games

• Burnout Dominator - The Spiritual City track is based on the real-life Kuala Lumpur city, with signboards leading to some expressways such as North-South Expressway Southern Route and Sprint Expressway.

[edit] Gallery

Linkedua Expressway in Malaysia after the Singapore-Malaysia Second Link Bridge, in the northbound direction.	The Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway's interchange with Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 in Ampang.	Newer expressways are relatively empty, such as Kajang Dispersial Link Expressway near Bandar Sungai Long, Kajang, Selangor.	The cable bridge of Damansara-Puchong Expressway spanning over its intersection with Federal Highway in Petaling Jaya. Kuala Lumpur can be seen in the distant background on the right corner of the picture.
The Petaling Jaya stretch of the Federal Highway leading towards Kuala Lumpur.	Along North-South Expressway Northern Route near Ipoh, Perak.	Sentul Link towards Mahameru Highway (MRR1)

[edit] See also

• Road signs in Malaysia
• National Speed Limits
• Malaysian Federal Roads system
• Malaysian State Roads system
• Highway
• Driveway
• Freeway
• Motorway
• Autobahn
• Expressway
• Interstate Highway System

[edit] References

• The Genting Sempah Tunnel is adopted from Terowong jalan raya paling panjang - Buku Rekod Malaysia Edisi Kedua, Ghulam Jie M Khan

[edit] External links

• Malaysian Highway Authority official page
• Malaysian Highway Authority traffic information page
• Plus Expressway Berhad - concession holder for:
  • North-South Expressway
  • Malaysia-Singapore Second Link
  • North-South Expressway Central Link
  • Seremban-Port Dickson Highway
  • Penang Bridge
• MTD Infraperdana - concession holder for:
  • Karak Expressway
  • East Coast Expressway
• Gamuda Berhad - concession holder for:
  • SPRINT - Sprint Expressway
  • LITRAK - Damansara-Puchong Expressway
  • KESAS - Shah Alam Expressway
  • SMART - SMART Tunnel
• Road Builder - concession holder for:
  • Besraya - Sungai Besi Expressway
  • NPE - New Pantai Expressway
• Grand Saga website
• Propel Berhad - concession holder for highway maintenance in Malaysia
• Motorways Exitlist - Exilist of expressway in Malaysia

v • d • e Malaysian Expressway System History Chronology of Malaysian Expressway System events Toll rates North-South Expressway • East Coast Expressway • Kajang-Seremban Highway Interstate North-South Expressway Northern Route (including New Klang Valley Expressway) • North-South Expressway Southern Route • North-South Expressway Central Link (including Putrajaya Link) (NSECL/ELITE) • Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway and East Coast Expressway (LPT/ECE) • Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE) • Kajang-Seremban Highway (KASEH) • ^ West Coast Expressway (LPB/WCE) Klang Valley and Selangor Shah Alam Expressway (SAE/KESAS) • Cheras - Kajang Expressway (CKE/Grand Saga) • Sungai Besi Expressway (SBE/BESRAYA) (including # Shamelin Expressway or Besraya Extension Expressway) • New Pantai Expressway (NPE) • Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) • Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH) • # Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway (LKSA) • Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK) • Maju Expressway (MEX) (Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Expressway (KLPE) and KL-KLIA Dedicated Expressway) • Sprint Expressway (Kerinchi Link, Damansara Link and Penchala Link) • # Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Expressway (KLKSE) (Assam Jawa-Templer Park Highway (LATAR)) • South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) • New North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB) • Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE) • Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE) • East-West Link Expressway and Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway • Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART Tunnel) • ^ Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (KLORR) • ^ New North Klang Valley Expressway (NNKVE) • ^ Kuala Lumpur Arah Serendah Expressway (KLAS) Johor Second Link Expressway (Malaysia-Singapore Second Link) (MSSC/LINKEDUA) • # JB Eastern Dispersal Link • # Senai-Desaru Expressway (SDE) • ^ Muar-Segamat Highway Penang Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) • # Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) • # Penang Second Bridge • Penang Bridge Others Ipoh-Lumut Expressway • Tun Salahuddin Bridge • Seremban-Port Dickson Highway (SPDH) Legend - # denotes highway under construction, ^ for under development.