aturday October 23, 2010
Klang folk want third bridge
By ELAN PERUMAL
elan@thestar.com.my
KLANG residents hope a third bridge will be built across the Klang River to provide a smoother ride for motorists from both north and south Klang.
They want the federal government to fulfil its promise to build the third bridge in the royal city.
In March 2008, former Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu and former Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo jointly launched the construction of the bridge.
However, there had been no sign that the proposed RM230mil bridge project would take off in the near future and there has been also talk that the project was shelved following Barisan Nasional’s defeat in Selangor in the last election.
According to the proposal, the 2.5km project will have four flyovers.
The bridge was to complement Jambatan Kota and Jambatan Musaeddin.
Smooth passage: The third bridge was supposed to be built over the Klang River connecting Jalan Kapar and Jalan Meru to Jalan Sungai Bertek in south Klang.The proposed bridge will link Jalan Meru and Jalan Kapar to Jalan Sungai Bertek.
Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had recently announced that he was confident that the federal government would go on with the third bridge.
He said the state had made its view known to the federal government on the need for the third bridge.
“We are confident that the bridge project will take off after the federal government has announced the Klang River beautification and development programme as part of its National Key Economic Area plan,” he said.
‘’We will continue with our efforts to persuade the federal government to include the bridge as part of the National Key Economic Area,’’ he said.
Klang Consumers Association chairman A. Devadass said the third bridge was not an option but a must.
Devadass said after many years motorists were enjoying a smoother ride due to the completion of the flyover in Persiaran Sultan Ibrahim.
“Motorists seems to be having a smooth ride into the town since the flyover was opened last month but I wonder if the situation would last long especially with the increasing population in Klang.
“There have been several new townships in recent years and more are being built,’’ he said.
Devadass said under the circumstances, the third bridge was a necessity so that the town would not be faced with serious traffic congestion in the near future.
He said the third bridge would allow traffic to be diverted from the town as motorists from Jalan Kapar, Jalan Meru and the North Klang Valley Expressway heading towards South Klang need not use Jambatan Kota or Jambatan Musaeddin.
“Likewise, motorists from South Klang heading towards Jalan Kapar, Jalan Meru, Kuala Selangor and NKVE will find it convenient to use the bridge,’’ he said.
Klang MCA chief Datuk Teh Kim Poo said the traffic situation would turn chaotic in the next three years if the third bridge was not built.
He said the traffic situation was smooth now but it would not be the same in the coming years.
“We cannot take the situation for granted. We have to plan now for the future. The bridge must be built in the next Malaysia Plan or else we will face traffic problem in the town again,’’ said the Klang Barisan Nasional chairman.
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