The highway system in Malaysia has opened up many new areas for development as they can be connected to the urban areas. Initially, when the highways are opened, traffic volumes are small and there is no congestion. But over time, as new housing estates and industrial estates are established, more vehicle start to enter the highway and the volume rises. The increase in volume leads to congestion, especially leading to the toll plaza.
The Rawang Selatan Toll Plaza (Exit 115) is one such example. Situated off the North-South Expressway, traffic from Rawang, Kundang and Sungai Buloh as well as regular highway users of Expressway use it daily. The growing Gamuda Gardens development is also adding more and more vehicles. It is also linked to the GCE (Guthrie Corridor Expressway) and LATAR Expressway so many vehicles pass through it on the way to or from Shah Alam and Kuala Selangor.
The toll plaza handles up to 29,000 vehicles daily and on weekdays, congestion has been occurring for some time. This has led PLUS, the concessionaire, to increase the number of lanes by three to improve traffic flow at the plaza as it allows motorists heading towards Gamuda Gardens and Kundang a separate route. The extra lanes are expected to disperse the existing peak-hour traffic by 14% to 19%.
This initiative was made possible through the close collaboration of the Ministry of Works, Malaysia Highway Authority, Public Works Department, PLUS and Gamuda Berhad.
