PETALING JAYA: Residents in areas set to be served by two highways under construction in the Klang Valley are eagerly awaiting their completion, saying it will ease traffic congestion that has been plaguing their area for years.
The two highways are the Sungai Besi–Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) which will run from Ulu Klang to Sungai Besi and the Damansara–Shah Alam Elevated Expressway (DASH) connecting Shah Alam to Damansara.
Both are expected to be open late next year.
A resident of Taman Dagang in Ampang, Adnan Shaari, says that traffic in his area has been “terrible” for the seven years he’s lived there.
Adnan, who is president of the Taman Dagang residents association, told FMT that he is optimistic the SUKE highway will be a solution, as he is regularly forced to endure a longer than necessary commute.
“It takes me about 45 minutes for me to get to work now but it should only take half an hour.”
Lecturer Adlan Abdul Razak who lives in Cahaya SPK said DASH would be a relief.
“During peak hours we face a lot of problems, my 20km journey to work can take me 40 minutes plus when the NKVE is jammed with people trying to get into KL, DASH will be a good alternative for those who want to go to the city,” he said, which should in turn ease the congestion faced by those relying on the surrounding roads.
Fazrul Riza Baharin, who uses Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari every day, said that he can’t wait for construction of the DASH to be finished.
“I work in Shah Alam and when I leave for work at 8am there is already a jam” he said, adding that while some of the traffic is due to the construction of the highway he’ll be “very happy once it is finished.”
Both highways are being developed by Prolintas Group of Companies and will act as part of a new ring road which will give people easy access into town.
SUKE and DASH serve more than 120 residential areas and are expected to reduce traffic congestion by more than 30% during peak hours, and businesses will be able to thrive with the ease of travel now connecting townships.