AMPANG, 1 JUNE 2012 : An overpass and two U-turns will be built to address complaints of traffic congestion and reduce the risk of accidents for vehicles from Taman Maju Jaya and users of the Middle Ring Road (MRR) 2.
"The illegal U-turns are causing traffic jams on the MRR2 and the drivers could also cause accidents," said Selangor executive councillor Iskandar Abdul Samad during a site visit.
Instead of heading towards Tesco Ampang to take a U-turn, many motorists headed towards Taman Shamelin Perkasa to make an illegal U-turn at the Jalan Pandan Indah/Jalan Indah traffic lights in Taman Maju Jaya.
After the realignment of MRR2 was completed in February, many road users from the Cheras and Sungai Besi had no way to turn towards Pandan Indah.
This is because the road's design is narrow and never meant for U-turns. Drivers will have to slow to a crawl to turn and this causes traffic jams.
When the traffic lights at the junction are green on the opposite direction, drivers making the illegal U-turns are putting themselves at risk of accidents.
In the meantime, Iskandar advised drivers to use the U-turn near Tesco Ampang in order to mitigate traffic congestion and to avoid accidents.
The new overpass will link Taman Shamelin Perkasa to Pandan Indah when completed and the two U-turns will be located at the two ends under the overpass.
He has also asked IJM Corporation Berhad (IJM), the company in charge of the project, to come up with a temporary solution.
"Drivers are doing illegal U-turns anyway, we need to consider a temporary measure," said Iskandar.
He suggested that IJM temporarily open up the divider of Jalan Pandan Indah so drivers can safely turn there.
IJM technical manager Ivan Tan said the project will be constructed by IJM's subsidiary Besraya Sdn Bhd and will take approximately one year to complete.
He said IJM will take Iskandar's suggestion into consideration but they will need to obtain approval from the Public Works Department first.
Tan said IJM had already engaged residents over the construction of the overpass and one of the main issues raised was sound pollution.
"Cars will be moving fast and create a lot of noise, so we will construct a sound barrier on the overpass to mitigate this," said Tan.
He also said residents will be notified before construction begins so they won't be caught unaware and also open a venue for people to engage with IJM.