Traffic flow on major highways slowed to a crawl on 29 August as millions of motorists headed out ahead of the National Day and school holidays long weekend.
The Malaysian Highway Authority reported congestion on multiple stretches of the North-South Expressway (E1), the Second Link (E2), and the KL-Karak highway, with conditions expected to persist late into the night. A spokesman said the number of vehicles on the highways had been increasing drastically since the previous evening and early that morning.
On the E1 northbound, vehicles moved slowly from Sungai Buloh towards Bukit Beruntung, from Bukit Tagar to Lembah Beringin, and from Sungkai to Simpang Pulai. Further up, traffic crawled from Changkat Jering to Taiping Utara, Bukit Merah to Bandar Baharu, and from Permatang Pauh towards Bertam, FMT reported.
Southbound traffic on the E2 was equally congested, with delays from Bangi towards Southville and from Nilai Utara to Pedas Linggi.
East Coast-bound motorists using the KL-Karak highway faced slow conditions from the Gombak toll plaza towards Genting Sempah and from Lentang towards Bentong. Additional congestion from Lanchang to Temerloh was caused by flood mitigation repair works, the highway authority said.
The West Coast Expressway, by contrast, was reported to be flowing smoothly in both directions.
The traffic surge comes as PLUS Malaysia Berhad had earlier warned of a sharp increase in vehicles on its highway network. The concessionaire anticipated up to 2.2 million vehicles daily during peak periods from 28 to 31 August and again from 4 to 7 September, coinciding with National Day celebrations and the school holidays, according to Malay Mail.
PLUS said it had activated Smart Lanes at 33 locations to ease congestion in areas identified as high-risk for bottlenecks. The company also increased personnel at toll plazas and rest areas, deployed additional PLUSRonda patrols, and set up a Traffic Monitoring Centre to track conditions across the network.
Motorists were advised to plan journeys using the MyPLUS-TTA digital travel schedule available on the PLUS App, which helps distribute traffic volume across off-peak windows. The app also provides real-time traffic information, emergency assistance, and estimated toll rates.
Highway users needing assistance can contact PLUSLine at 1800-88-0000.
