Start water-proofing Kepong flyover immediately

DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong Dr Tan Seng Giaw presses the Public Works Department (JKR) to start works on water-proofing the Kepong flyover (Middle Ring Road, MRR2) immediately.

Let us not beat about the bush. JKR has known of the cracks of the crossbeams for about 6 years. Out of the 33 crossbeams, 31 have cracked.

We must revamp the whole organization and system of JKR.

Dr Tan comments on the media reports of shakings of MRR2.

Dr Tan and over a hundred thousand motorists continue to use the flyover almost every day. Whatever the utterances of the Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu, nobody can predict precisely when the flyover will explode and collapse.

Dr Tan will bring up the MRR2 saga again in the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) tomorrow. On 9 December, 2005, the JKR Director-General Datuk Dr Wahid stressed in his briefing to the PAC that he was issuing a letter to the contractor BumiHiway Consortium to reply within two weeks whether the latter would undertake the waterprooofing and repair works. Otherwise, JKR would appoint a new contractor. BumiHiway is responsible for the repiar works, estimated at RM20 million.

Samy says that JKR has received the water-proofing membrane from United Kingdom and that the repiar works could start. We would like to see the works being implemented straightaway.

In the year 2000, the authorities noticed the crossbeam cracks. Over 8 consultants have been appointed. About 4 years later, the Halcrow Group, UK, recommended that JKR waterproof the cracks as soon as possible in January 2005. Alas, one year later, JKR has not done so. Since the discovery of the cracks, they have been getting from bad to worse.