GUA MUSANG: The first day of the Gua Musang-Kuala Lipis main road closure here not only caused traffic congestion but also resulted in Sekolah Maahad Muhammadi pupils here being late for classes.
The closure is to make way for road-boring works for the 3B & 3C phase of the Lingkaran Tengah Utama (LTU) Expressway project.
Sekolah Maahad Muhammadi Gua Musang headmaster Mohd Zaki Mat Zin, 52, advised parents to leave their homes early tomorrow onwards to prevent the pupils from being left behind in their studies.
“Some 136 pupils from Taman Sri Wangi, Kesedar Jaya, Kesedar Putra, Kawasan Perindustrian Chin Teck, Tanah Putih, Taman Saujana Harmoni and Pulai were affected by the traffic jam,” he told reporters here today.
A Bernama survey lso found that the road closure was also the reason behind the unusual 15-kilometre (km) traffic crawl from in front of the Petronas Persiaran Raya Gua Musang to the Tanah Putih roundabout this morning.
Road user Nik Syazwani Nik Ilias, 34, said she only knew about the road closure when she passed it this morning, claiming that she did not receive the latest notice about the closure.
“Indeed, we were previously informed that the road would be closed for highway construction works according to the PWD notice from March 29, but since the road was still passable up until yesterday (Monday), I thought the closure was delayed,” she said.
Meanwhile, ECER Special Projects Unit 1 Road branch senior civil engineer superintendent Ir Mohd Hamizi Abdullah said the road had to be closed and traffic diverted from entering the construction area so as not to cause severe congestion due to the bottleneck at the construction site after the Taman Wangi traffic lights.
“The LTU Public Works Department (JKR) made preparations before the road was closed by upgrading the alternative road, which is Jalan Simpang Pulau to the Gua Musang District Police Headquarters junction, and taking into account the expected increase in traffic during the festive season,” he said. - Bernama
