Deepavali: 73% increase in vehicles expected on KL-Karak Expressway

KUANTAN: Concessionaire ANIH Bhd expects 692,000 vehicles to use the Kuala Lumpur-Karak (KLK) and the East Coast Expressway Phase 1 (LPT1) for four days from Friday (Nov 10), which is an increase of 73% from the average daily traffic.

Its chief executive officer, Imran Gulcharan Abdullah said 284,000 vehicles were expected to pass through LPT1, which is an estimated increase of 58%.

“In preparation for this, ANIH Bhd is increasing the number of support staff by 60%, comprising toll plaza staff, LPT Ronda teams and members of the Traffic Command Centre (TCC) team during that period, in addition to opening more toll lanes if necessary.

“A total of 150 members of the People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) will be deployed in strategic areas along the expressways to ensure smooth traffic flow,” he said in a statement Friday.

He also encouraged road users to use the Travel Time Advisory (TTA) issued as a guide for Friday and Saturday (Nov 11).

Those heading to Kelantan are advised to hit the highway before 10am or after 5pm, while those going to Terengganu (before 10am or after 8pm) and those bound for Pahang (after 10am or 8pm).

For those travelling to the capital or Selangor on Monday (Nov 13), commuters from Kelantan are recommended to enter the highway after 3pm or 10pm, those from Terengganu (after 11am or 5pm) and those from Pahang (after 10am or 5pm).

Touch’n Go users are also reminded to touch the card on the detector at the toll booth although the government has announced free tolls in conjunction with the Deepavali festival, besides making sure to exit the highway on the designated day and time to enjoy the free toll.

Users may log on to the official Facebook account @Lebuhraya Pantai Timur and the X (formerly known as Twitter) account @LPTTrafik as well as the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) @llmtrafik for highway-related information and contact the LPT-Line at 1-700-818-700 or the LLM line at 1800-88-7752 in case of emergencies. – BK