A road being expanded in Pasir Gudang. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
A STANDARD operating procedure (SOP) for road maintenance and repair works is being drafted as part of efforts to address traffic congestion in Johor.
State works, transportation, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said several discussions had been held with Public Works Department (JKR) and concession companies involved in projects along federal and state roads.
“Among regulations we plan to include in the SOP is on road closure, whereby concession companies are allowed to close one lane only if there are three lanes or more.
“If the road only has two lanes or just one, they will be allowed to only close a lane at night or on weekends.
“For now, discussions only involve federal and state roads. We have yet to hold SOP discussions with local councils for roads under their purview, but we plan to do so soon.”
Mohamad Fazli said this was among efforts to improve traffic flow when road repairs or maintenance works are in progress.
“We have also made an appeal to PLUS Malaysia Bhd and Malaysian Highway Authority for more smart lanes to be made available in Johor.
“Currently, there are smart lanes along North-South Expressway between Senai and Sedenak from 8am to 8pm daily. We have asked for them to be made available 24 hours.
“We are also requesting smart lanes be made available along other parts of the expressway such as between Senai and Tangkak, where the emergency lanes are wide enough to be used as smart lanes.”
Asked about worsening congestion in Johor Baru, especially around Tebrau and Pasir Gudang, Mohamad Fazli said this was partly due to a backlog of road works for 2024.
“There were some projects that were previously postponed due to the weather and other reasons. Since we are reaching the end of the year, we need to clear the backlog,” he said.
Pasir Gudang Highway is being upgraded too, from four to six lanes.
“On top of maintenance works, Pasir Gudang Highway is also in the midst of being upgraded.
“This may have also contributed to the congestion, as several things are going on at the same time,” he said.
In an earlier statement, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Karim said he had received numerous complaints from the public about traffic congestion.
“There are too many road repair works being conducted simultaneously, and this has led to severe congestion on several major roads,” he said.
“Motorists complained about having to endure two to three hours of congestion along Jalan Pantai, between Johor Baru and Pasir Gudang, last week.
“Another was the closure of Jalan Permas 12, which also led to serious traffic congestion.”
Hassan said other complaints he received included closure of the road from Bakar Batu to Pasir Gudang, forcing motorists to make a long detour to Pasir Gudang Highway.
“I urge JKR, Johor Baru City Council and Seri Alam police to monitor the traffic situation in these areas as well as the progress of contractors involved in the repair works.
“I suggest that the Johor Baru district officer, who is also the Johor Baru development action committee chairman, include discussions on congestion issues at the committee’s monthly meeting,” he said.
Tebrau MP Jimmy Puah said he was working closely with JKR to look into ways to shorten the duration of road works.
“From my observation, there are just too many cars and road works along FT03 Federal Road (Mersing-Kota Tinggi-Johor Baru).
“This led some motorists to use alternative routes, including around the Austin Heights area, which also caused such areas to be affected by congestion.
“I am working with JKR to try to reduce the number of days needed for construction work.”
Puah encouraged the public to consider carpooling to reduce congestion as well as to plan their journey and avoid peak hours where possible.
