Motorists in Kuala Lumpur should prepare for increased congestion in certain areas from this Saturday (August 5) – and they will have to live with it for the next 12 months! This will be due to several routes in the city being closed off while construction of a bridge and renovation work take place.
Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) says the affected roads will be in the vicinity of Jalan Sungai Besi leading to Sungai Besi or Petaling Jaya (opposite the Fraser Business Park), and the Loke Yew roundabout where the bridge will be constructed.
There will be a traffic diversion from the Kampung Pandan roundabout to Sungai Besi or Petaling Jaya which will be diverted into two parts: through the road next to Federal Bakery and enter the contra route in the adjacent lane.
Traffic from Sungai Besi or Petaling Jaya heading to the Kampung Pandan roundabout will be diverted to the left via the Loke Yew roundabout.
Since the Loke Yew roundabout will be closed, traffic from Cheras heading to Jalan Loke Yew is only allowed to make a U-turn towards Cheras again and this traffic route is permanent.
Traffic from Jalan Kinabalu towards Jalan Loke Yew and Jalan Sungai Besi will be diverted to Jalan Yew towards the Pudu roundabout only. As an alternative route, DBKL suggests that motorists go through the U-turn at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (P) Pudu.
In addition, the Jalan Yew traffic route from the Kampung Pandan roundabout to Jalan Kinabalu and Jalan Kuching will be closed during the construction period and the alternative route is through Jalan Kampung Pandan, Jalan Imbi and Jalan Hang Tuah.
For the purpose of demolishing the drawbridge and reconstruction of the bridge at the Pudu roundabout towards Jalan Sungai Besi (next to the Pudu Police Station), the slip road from Jalan Pudu to Jalan Yew will remain closed to all traffic during the same period.
There are alternative routes are through Jalan Sungai Besi, Jalan Chan Sow Lin, Jalan One, Jalan Dua and Jalan Tiga. “Motorists are advised to obey signages and traffic police instructions as a guide and safety measure to avoid confusion and difficulties,” DBKL advised in its statement.