Friday May 2, 2008
Safety first on expressway
By PAUL CHOO
KUALA LUMPUR: PLUS Expressways Bhd will embark on a RM475mil preventive maintenance project that includes installing instruments to detect impending landslides and reduce rock falls along the North-South Expressway.
The instruments, known as Real Time Monitoring System (RTMS) and Debris Flow Nets, are being installed following two successful pilot projects carried out early last year.
They are the latest in preventive maintenance measures undertaken by PLUS to ensure the safety of motorists and protect the expressway's structures.
Safety net: A PLUS official inspecting the Swiss-made Debris Flow Net in Gua Tempurung. The net can stop a nine-tonne boulder travelling at 25m per second. PLUS chief operating officer Nik Airina Nik Jaffar said the two instruments were part of various maintenance works involving some 1,000 engineers and technical personnel conducting some 20,000 inspections for 2008 on the expressway.
The solar-powered RMTS, she said, were locally produced after years of research.
It acts as a rain gauge on priority slope areas and collects data to determine if there is a need to maintain the slope. The data is then sent via radio signal to PLUS’ main server.
During a press conference at PLUS headquarters on Tuesday, Nik Airina said PLUS would install 64 more RMTS throughout the expressway. There are already six RMTS located in Bukit Lanjan, Jalan Duta, Gua Tempurung, Jelapang, Bukit Merah and Ma’okil (Johor).
“The existing six pilot RMTS have performed wonderfully,” she said, adding that a team would react immediately to any information.
On the Debris Flow Nets, Nik Airina said its pilot project last year had also yielded good results. The Swiss-made nets, made of highly galvanised steel wire and costing RM5mil, are currently installed at five locations at Gua Tempurung and Jelapang.
On its strength, Nik Airina said the net could stop a nine-tonne boulder travelling at 25m per second. It is the first of its kind in South-East Asia and works as a net to catch falling rocks or debris that could pose a danger to the highway. Countries such as Hong Kong and Japan also utilise this technology.
PLUS also operates the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), Federal Highway Route 2, Seremban-Port Dickson Highway (SPDH), North-South Expressway Central Link (NSECL), Malaysia-Singapore Second Crossing and the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE).
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