Malaysian Expressway System
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Malaysian Expressway System (Malay: Sistem Lebuhraya Malaysia) which begins with the North-South Expressway, is in the process of being substantially increased. It was built by private companies under the supervision of the government highway authority, Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) (Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia (LLM)).
[edit] Overview
The Malaysian expressway network can be considered the best expressway network in Southeast Asia and also in Asia after Japan and China. [1] As of 2006, the total length is 1471.60 kilometres (914.4 miles).[2] The closed toll expressway system is similar to Japan Expressway Systems and China Expressway Systems. All Malaysian toll expressways are managed in the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) system.
Malaysian expressways are found at all major cities and conurbations such as Klang Valley, Johor Bahru and Penang. A few major expressways in Malaysia are part of the larger Asian Highway Network. 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 2 Asian Highway routes passing through Malaysia - Asian Highway Route 2 AH 2 and Asian Highway Route 18 AH 18.
The Malaysian section of Route AH 2 consists of:-
- North-South Expressway
- Jalan Duta-Segambut Highway
- Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1
- Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway
- Skudai Highway
- Johor Causeway
[edit] History of Malaysian expressways
[edit] Interstate
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 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 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 previous Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.
[edit] Klang Valley
The history of the highways in 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) and KL-KLIA Dedicated Expressway (opened 2007).
[edit] Johor Bahru
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 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] 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] Expressway standards
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.
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 E 2. 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 2) and Skudai Highway (Federal Route 1) retain their federal route codes. In addition, there are 2 highways in Malaysia which are classified as municipal roads - Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1 and Jelutong Expressway.
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.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malaysian_Expressway_System&action=edit Editing Malaysian Expressway System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For more information, please refer to Road signs in Malaysia articles.
All expressways must have at least 4 lanes (2 in each direction) separated by a median divider. Both sides must have an emergency lane. The median divider in Malaysian expressways are usually narrow due to the high cost of reclaiming land. However, median dividers at some parts of North-South Expressway and Karak Expressway are wide.
Many people are confused between expressways and dual-carriageways. All expressways are dual-carriageways but not all dual-carriageways are expressways because an expressway should have either limited or partial access via interchanges. In addition, there are some 2-lane federal main roads which are called highways because of their function as main roads, but these roads cannot be classified as highways or expressways because an expressway must be a dual-carriageway (with at least 2 lanes at each sides) with limited or partial access only.
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.
Malaysian expressways are subject to the R6 rural highway standard (full access control with speed limits up to 110 km/h) adopted by Malaysian Public Works Department. (For more information, please refer to Malaysian Federal Roads System articles.)
E 1 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).
[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 payment system, 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] Malaysian expressway toll rate classes
The Malaysian toll rates can be considered among the cheapest in the world, says Works Minister, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu. (Source: The Star, 15 December 2006 [3])
There are toll rate classes for every Malaysian expressway except Penang Bridge and SMART Tunnel where toll rates are not the same.
[edit] Toll rate classes for every expressway in Malaysia
| Class | Type of vehicles | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Motorcycles, bicycles or vehicles with 2 or less wheels | Free | Except Tanjung Kupang toll plaza on the Malaysia-Singapore Second Link |
| 1 | Vehicles with 2 axles and 3 or 4 wheels excluding taxis | RM (Cash) TnG TAG | |
| 2 | Vehicles with 2 axles and 5 or 6 wheels excluding buses | RM (Cash) TnG TAG | |
| 3 | Vehicles with 3 or more axles | RM (Cash) | Cash only (Express Card for Shah Alam Expressway only) |
| 4 | Taxis | RM (Cash) | Cash only, paid by passengers only. |
| 5 | Buses | RM (Cash) | Cash only |
[edit] Toll rate classes for Penang Bridge
| Class | Type of vehicles | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorcycles, bicycles or vehicles with 2 or less wheels | RM (Cash) TnG | |
| 2 | Motorcycle with sidecars, cars including station wagon and commercial vehicles on three wheels | RM (Cash) TnG TAG | For taxis, toll charges are paid by passengers only. |
| 3 | Lorries, vans and buses with two axles and four wheels | RM (Cash) TnG TAG | |
| 4 | Lorries, vans and buses with two axles and five and six wheels | RM (Cash) | Cash only |
| 5 | Vehicles with three axles | RM (Cash) | Cash only |
| 6 | Vehicles with four axles | RM (Cash) | Cash only |
| 7 | Vehicles with five or more axles | RM (Cash) | Cash only |
[edit] Toll rate classes for SMART Tunnel
| Class | Type of vehicles | Payment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Private car | RM (Cash) TnG TAG | |
| 4 | Taxis | RM (Cash) | Toll charges are paid by passengers only. |
[edit] Safety
[edit] Speed limits
The default speed limit and National Speed Limits 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. 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
- Bicycles
- Steam roller
- Tractors
- Excavators and backhoes
[edit] Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway
- Motorcycles and 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 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] Facilities on Malaysian expressways
There are several facilities provided along Malaysian expressway as follows:-
- Rest and Service Area - 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 - 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.
- Overhead restaurants - 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 - 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) - 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 - 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 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.
- 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 Damansara Perdana-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.
[edit] Interesting facts
- PLUS Expressway Berhad is the largest 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 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 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 from Klang to Kuala Lumpur
- Federal Highway is the first highway in Malaysia to have a motorcycle lane.
- The first highway tunnel in Malaysia is Genting Sempah Tunnel on 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 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 Layby on North-South Expressway Central Link.
- Tapah RSA (both bound) 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) 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 (Salak 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 (then followed by the Putrajaya-Cyberjaya Expressway); thus making the Federal Highway as the first federal expressway with expressway exit numbering system.
[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:
| Films | Types of film | Expressway locations |
|---|---|---|
| Tragedi Oktober | Local Malay film starring Awie | Along New Klang Valley Expressway |
| Sembilu | Local Malay film starring Awie | Along North-South Expressway Northern Route |
| Remp-It | Local Malay film | Along Shah Alam Expressway |
| KL Menjerit | Local Malay film starring Rosyam Nor | Along KL IRR, KL MRR1 and North-South Expressway Southern Route |
| KL Menjerit 1 | Local Malay film, prequel of KL Menjerit | Along North-South Expressway Southern Route |
| Don - The Chase Begins Again | Bollywood film starring Shah Rukh Khan | Bukit Kiara interchange Sprint Expressway |
| Skyline Cruisers | Hong Kong Cantonese film | Putra Mahkota interchange North-South Expressway Southern Route |
| Evolusi KL Drift | Local Malay film starring Fasha Sandha | Along streets, roads and highways in Kuala Lumpur Along roads and highways in Putrajaya |
[edit] Televisions
[edit] Dramas
| TV series | Types of TV series | Expressway locations |
|---|---|---|
| Dari Fail Peronda Lebuhraya | Malay drama | North-South Expressway |
| Impak Maksima, the series | Malay drama | Sprint Expressway |
[edit] Documentary
| TV series | Types of TV series | Expressway locations |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery Channel's Extreme Engineering |
Documentary | SMART Tunnel |
| National Geographic's Truly Malaysia |
Documentary | SMART Tunnel |
[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 E 2 North-South Expressway Southern Route and E 23 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. |
 SMART Tunnel during a test on 29 January 2007 |
 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:
- MTD Infraperdana - concession holder for:
- Gamuda Berhad - concession holder for:
- Road Builder - concession holder for:
- Grand Saga website
- Propel Berhad - concession holder for highway maintenance in Malaysia
- Motorways Exitlist - Exilist of expressway in Malaysia
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