Where was the SMART Tunnel when we need it most
Had it been ready, the RM1.9bil Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel Project (SMART) would have prevented Sunday’s floods that inundated the city centre.
Drainage and Irrigation Department deputy director Ahmad Fuad said the floods around Dataran Merdeka and Masid Jamek were caused by Sungai Kelang bursting its banks at the confluence of Sungai Gombak.
“A storm which causes the river to overflow – that is exactly what the SMART flood tunnel is being built to overcome,” he said at a press conference organised by Kuala Lumpur City Hall here yesterday.
Ahmad said had the tunnel been operational, it would have been used to divert 95% of the water in Sungai Kelang to a lake in Sungai Besi and prevented the flood.
The road portion of SMART was opened to traffic but the floodwater diversion component will only be operational next month.
Excess water would be held at a retention pond in Kampung Berembang in Ampang and channelled into the tunnel, which will release the water into a deep pond near Tanan Danau Desa.
RM 2 Toll for SMART Tunnel.
(Point to Ponder : Why are we paying Toll when to floodwater diversion work is not yet completed)
Users of the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) will be charged a RM2 toll from 11.59pm on June 14, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.
He said the toll would be increased again in three years, adding that the price was right as the tunnel concessionaire had forked out RM640mil to build it.
Noting that there was no Government subsidy involved, he said: “In any part of the world where tunnels are built, the toll is higher.
“It is also an alternative route. Road users can continue to use the existing highway but if you need to speed up your journey, then use the tunnel,” he told reporters after opening a meeting of senior Works Ministry officers.
Read also news by Malaysiakini
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/68486
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