North–South Expressway, Malaysia

The North–South Expressway (NSE) (Malay: Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan) ((simplified Chinese: 南北大道)) is the longest expressway in Malaysia with the total length of 966 km (600 mi) running from Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah near the Malaysian-Thai border (connects with Phetkasem Road (Route 4) in Thailand) to Johor Bahru at the southern portion of Peninsular Malaysia and to Singapore. The expressway links many major cities and towns in western Peninsular Malaysia, acting as the 'backbone' of the west coast of the peninsula. It is also known as PLUS Expressway, named after the highway's concessionaire, Projek Lebuhraya Utara Selatan Berhad (North South Expressway Project; abbreviated as PLUS).

This expressway passes through 7 states on the peninsula: Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah. It provides a faster alternative to the old Federal Route , thus reducing travelling time between various towns & cities.

Overview

It is divided into a few main routes; (northern route from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Kuala Lumpur) which also incorporates the Penang Bridge, (southern route from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru). The New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), part of the route, starts from Bukit Raja, Klang to Jalan Duta exit in Kuala Lumpur. The North–South Expressway Central Link (ELITE) , opened in 1997, is a highway built to bypass Kuala Lumpur. It starts from the Shah Alam interchange on the NKVE , past Subang Jaya, Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and ends at the Nilai Utara interchange on the . The is the Second Link Expressway (Linkedua), which is connected to Malaysia-Singapore Second Link, starting at Senai Airport and ends in Tanjung Kupang before crossing. PLUS also obtained the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway, , which starts at Mambau in Seremban with an interchange at Lukut and ending near the town centre in Port Dickson and Butterworth–Kulim Expressway, which starts from Butterworth, Penang to Kulim in Kedah.

and  end in Kuala Lumpur. The  from the North becomes the New Klang Valley Expressway which further links into the NSE Central Link or for people travelling to Kuala Lumpur exit at the Jalan Duta Toll Plaza which links to the Sprint Expressway  and the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1 (MRR1) . The  from the South ends in Sungai Besi which then changes into the  Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway with interchanges to the Federal Highway Route  via Salak Expressway , Sungai Besi Expressway  and heads towards the city centre.

History

The planning of the national expressway started in the mid-1970s. In 1977, the Malaysian Ministry of Works received official instructions to draw plans of an expressway from the Malaysia-Thailand border (Bukit Kayu Hitam) to the Johor Causeway. In 1980, the Malaysian Highway Authority was established to monitor all the work progress of the first national expressway.

At that time, all construction works of the expressway between 1982 to 1988 was solely administered by Malaysian Highway Authority before being transferred to Projek Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan Berhad (PLUS) in 1988. As the construction works continued, segments of the highway were opened to traffic as they were finished to help fund the construction works. PLUS continued all the construction works from 1988 until completion in 1994, 15 months earlier than scheduled. The expressway was officially opened on September 8, 1994 by Malaysian prime minister at that time, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad.

Pioneer routes

The pioneer route for North–South Expressway Northern Route was the Bukit Kayu Hitam – Jitra section (both in Kedah), which was initially a part of the Federal Route , opened in 1 April 1985.

The pioneer route for North–South Expressway Southern Route was Kuala Lumpur-Seremban Expressway, opened on 16 June 1982. However, the section from Razak Mansion to Sungai Besi toll plaza was not acquired by PLUS Expressway Berhad but rather by MetaCorp – as a result, the section was not included in the southern route.

Current developments

Six-lane widening works

Plans to upgrade the stretches from Slim River to Tanjung Malim, Tanjung Malim to Rawang (Northern route), Seremban to Senawang, and Senawang to Ayer Keroh (Southern route) was approved by the government for better traffic flow. It was completed in 2007.

Kuala Lumpur-Penang Through Traffic (Ipoh North (Jelapang) – Ipoh South)

The Jelapang and Ipoh South toll plazas were demolished in 2009 to make a non-stop route across Ipoh. This is achieved through the construction of two local-express lanes for each side, which are only accessible via EXIT 138 Ipoh South Exit (for northbound traffic) and EXIT 141 Ipoh North Exit (for southbound traffic). The toll plazas in Ipoh are therefore relocated at each ends of the local-express lanes.

The decision to demolish both toll plazas was made as a result of accidents which happened at Jelapang toll plaza. Since the toll plaza was opened in 28 September 1987, there were many accident cases which involved brake failure in heavy vehicles due to hard braking when proceeding downhill to the toll plaza. On 7 June 2008, the new Ipoh North toll plaza (South bound) replacing old Jelapang toll plaza opened to traffic, followed by north bound on 15 August 2008. Beginning 11:00 am on 14 July 2009, the Kuala Lumpur-Penang through traffic is now opened to traffic. With the opening of the 14.7-kilometre (9.1 mi) between Ipoh North (Jelapang) and Ipoh South stretch, highway users are no longer required to stop for toll transactions at the Ipoh North and Ipoh South Toll Plazas.

Fourth Lane additions

On July 2010, the operator PLUS Expressways Berhad announced that the government has awarded contracts to build a fourth lane on certain stretches of the highway, namely from Shah Alam to Jalan Duta, from Shah Alam to Rawang and from Nilai (North) to Seremban. It is unknown when the construction is expected to begin.

Highways of PLUS

Carriageways

Generally the expressway consists of 4 lanes, 2 for each direction. There are some exceptions to this; the following are stretches with 6 lanes (3 each way):

• North–South Expressway Southern Route (Sungai Besi to Ayer Keroh)
• New Klang Valley Expressway
• North–South Expressway Northern Route (Bukit Lanjan to Slim River)
• North–South Expressway Northern Route (Sungai Dua to Juru located at Penang)
• North–South Expressway Central Link, (Shah Alam to Nilai North)
• Second Link Expressway (Pulai to Ayer Rajah Expressway (Tuas, Singapore))

Speed limit

North–South Expressway is designed as a high-speed long distance expressway therefore the default speed limit on the expressway is 110 km/h (68 mph), but there are some exceptions in some places for several reasons, including:-

• 1 km before every toll plaza: 60 km/h (to help the traffic to slow down)
• Bukit Kayu Hitam-Jitra stretch : 90 km/h (expressway section with at-grade junctions) (Kedah)
• Sungai Dua-Juru : 90 km/h (due to heavy traffic at Penang Bridge) (Penang)
• Kuala Kangsar-Jelapang stretch : 80 km/h (highland stretch with dangerous corners) (Perak)
• Jelapang – Ipoh South stretch : 90 km/h for main carriageways; 70 km/h for toll-free local-express lanes (to control the traffic flow of the non-stop main carriageways and the toll-free local-express lanes) (Perak)
• Gua Tempurung stretch : 90 km/h (highland stretch) (Perak)
• Bukit Lanjan Interchange : 80 km/h (to control traffic flow of NKVE and the main link of northern route to avoid accidents) (Selangor)
• Bukit Lanjan-Jalan Duta stretch : 90 km/h (steep uphill/downhill stretch) (Kuala Lumpur)
• Sungai Besi-Bangi : 90 km/h (due to high traffic capacity) (Kuala Lumpur- Selangor)
• Simpang Ampat-Ayer Keroh : 90 km/h (due to high traffic capacity/crosswind) (Malacca)

Notable incidents

• On March 9, 2007, 6 passengers were killed in a bus crash near Menora Tunnel, Perak.

• On August 13, 2007, 20 people were killed in a bus crash near Changkat Jering, Perak.

• On March 27, 2008, A Singaporean family of 4 killed in accident along North–South Expressway near Tangkak, Johor, leaving behind a 2-month-old baby.

• On December 2, 2008 at about 0315 hrs, a Singaporean biker, who was returning from a riding trip from Hat Yai, Thailand was killed after crashing his bike into an overturned lorry near Simpang Empat, Melaka.

• On December 7, 2008, 10 passengers were killed in a bus crash at km 146.8 of the North–South Expressway between Tangkak and Pagoh, Johor.

• On 13 April 2009, Six people were killed in double decker express bus crash at km 443 of the North–South Expressway near Rawang, Selangor.

• 26 December 2009, Ten passengers were killed and two injured after a double-decker Express bus skidded and hit the road divider at Km 272.8 of the North–South Expressway as it was heading north, about 8 km from the Ipoh South toll plaza near Ipoh, Perak.

• 10 October 2010, Twelve people were killed and more than 50 others injured in an highway crash involving two buses, three cars and a van at Km 223 of the North–South Expressway, near the Simpang Ampat Interchange, Melaka.

Measures taken to reduce accidents

Most heavy vehicles are only allowed to travel 80–90 km/h by law. Considering that two lanes are inadequate for smooth traffic flow, the expressway is being widened as a result of the increasing number of fatal accidents along this highway.

It has been recently decided that the two-lane 110 km/h highway will be upgraded to a three-lane 110 km/h highway. The highway widening project has been underway since 2006 as an accident-reducing measure.

Toll system

The North–South Expressway is a toll expressway with two toll systems:-

• Open system – Users only have to pay at certain toll plazas within the open system range for a fixed amount. "Open system" is used in the following stretches of the North–South expressway:

1. Batu Tiga and Sungai Rasau, (Selangor)
2. Bukit Kayu Hitam, (Kedah)
3. Jitra, (Kedah)
4. Kempas, (Johor)
5. Johor-Singapore Causeway,
6. Lukut and Mambau, (Negri Sembilan)
7. Tanjung Kupang, Taman Perling and Lima Kedai (Johor).

• Closed system – Users collect toll tickets or PLUSTransit cards 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).

PLUS Travel Incentive Program

Effective 1 January 2009, Class 1 highway users traveling on the expressway (NSE) and North–South Expressway Central Link (ELITE) between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 am will be able to enjoy 10 percent toll discount. This is part of the PLUS’ initiatives to offer added value to its customers on both highways.

There are three toll incentive packages of the PLUS Travel Incentive Program which will be enjoyed by the customers on the PLUS and ELITE highways which are:-

Incentive One

• Users of Class 1 vehicles using the highway between 12:00 midnight and 7:00 am will enjoy 10 percent toll discount.
• Duration : 1 January 2009 until 31 December 2010.

Incentive Two

• Additional 10 percent toll discount will be given to highway users (Class 1 vehicles only) traveling between 12.00 midnight to 7.00 am on selected six days during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas festive seasons.
• Duration : 1 January 2009 until 31 December 2010.

Incentive Three

• Electronic Toll Payment users spending monthly cummulative minimum amount of RM200 will enjoy 5 percent rebate (for usage on PLUS and ELITE highways only)
• This offer is given to users who are registered with the PLUS Loyalty Program which will be launched later.
• Duration : Beginning 1 January 2009

Toll rate classes for every PLUS Expressways Networks

Toll Abbreviation

For toll rates, see also Toll rates of the North–South Expressway

For more information see also Toll rates of the North–south Expressway

Facilities along the expressway

• Rest and service areas located about 60 km from each other
• Layby parking areas are located approximately every two junctions
• Emergency phones every 2 km
• PLUSLINE hotline number
• PLUS Ronda (PLUS patrol) service to assist drivers in the event of vehicle problems on the expressway
• PLUS helicopter patrol unit to monitored along PLUS expressways

Records

• North–South Expressway is Malaysia's first long-distance expressway as well as Malaysia's longest expressway.
• Menora Tunnel, an 800 m (2,600 ft) tunnel on the North–South Expressway Northern Route near Jelapang, was once Malaysia's longest highway tunnel at the time of its construction.
• Sungai Besi toll plaza is the widest toll plaza in Malaysia with over 18 lanes (excluding additional toll booths).
• The longest bridge along the expressway is Sungai Perak Bridge (Jambatan Sultan Azlan Shah) with the length of 300 m (980 ft).
• North–South Expressway is the first expressway in Malaysia that provides overhead bridge restaurants.
• The longest flyover bridge along the NSE network is Batu Tiga flyover in the North–South Expressway Central Link.
• The most expensive section of the expressway is the Gopeng-Tapah section. At RM200 million, it translate to RM 20 million per kilometre. Embankment strengthening is the major contributor for this escalating cost.
• The PLUS Speedway (formerly ELITE Speedway) in USJ Rest and Service Area on North–South Expressway Central Link is the first highway go-kart circuit in Malaysia.
• North–South Expressway forms 80% of Malaysian part of the Asian Highway Network, specifically Asian Highway Network 2 AH2. The other expressways in Malaysia included in the route are Skudai Highway, Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1 and Johor Causeway.
• The Nilai Memorial Park near Nilai Layby on North–South Expressway Southern Route is the first closed tolled expressway public memorial park in Malaysia.
• The PLUS Art Gallery in Ayer Keroh Overhead Bridge Restaurant (OBR) is the first highway art gallery in Malaysia.
• Kempas Highway (Johor State Route J3 ) is the only state route ever built by an expressway concessionaire company (PLUS Expressway Berhad).
• 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, after it was renovated during mid-2008.
• The Sungai Perak Rest and Service Area (south bound) at the North–South Expressway Northern Route in Perak is the first rest and service area in the Malaysian expressway to have an eco-management theme known as "The Green Trail" or "Jejak Hijau".
• PLUSMiles is the first and only toll rebate loyalty programme in the Malaysian expressways.
• 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 .
• The North–South Expressway Northern Route is the first and currently the only expressway in Malaysia to have a runaway truck ramp near Jelapang, Ipoh.

List of interchanges

See also

• AH2 North–South Expressway Northern Route
• AH2 North–South Expressway Southern Route
• AH2 New Klang Valley Expressway
• AH2 North–South Expressway Central Link
• AH2 Second Link Expressway
• Seremban-Port Dickson Highway
• Butterworth-Kulim Expressway

See also

• Malaysian Expressway System

Notes

External links

• PLUS Expressway Berhad
• PLUS
• Malaysian Highway Authority
• Malaysian traffic summons lookup