Road realignment at Bukit Bintang for works on MRT

A realignment of the road to the right side of Jalan Bukit Bintang will take place this Wednesday as the Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) goes into its second stage of the traffic management plan.

Currently, traffic heading towards Jalan Bukit Bintang is diverted to the left side of the road in front of Bukit Bintang Plaza.

However, beginning 15 January 2014 to December 2016, traffic will be directed at all times to the right side of Jalan Bukit Bintang in front of KFC Restaurant and McDonald’s.

“This is due to a shift of the MRT worksite to the other side as construction enters the second stage,” said a statement by MRT Corp today.

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Under the plan, a 150-metre stretch from the junction of Jalan Sultan Ismail involving two lanes will be realigned towards the right side of the road.

“This shift of traffic flow is necessary to facilitate the second stage of construction for the station box for the future underground Bukit Bintang Station,” explained MRT Corp. Director of Strategic Communications and Public Relations Amir Mahmood Razak said.

“This is important as MRT Corp strives to keep the project on schedule,” he emphasised.

He added that this is also part of MRT Corp’s traffic management plan to ensure that traffic in Bukit Bintang is not severely impacted by works carried out, in an area already congested due to other factors.

MRT is a new rail transport system for the Klang Valley.

It is part of the government’s Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley’s National Key Economic Area (NKEA), under the Economic Transformation Programme. The Sungai Buloh – Kajang (SBK) Line runs for 51kms, from the north-west town of Sg Buloh to the south-east city town of Kajang.

Upon completion, it will comprise 31 stations, and serve 1.2 million people along the route.

It will also have strategic integration with KL’s existing rail transport network, namely the LRT, Monorail and KTM Komuter, as well as intra and inter-city bus routes. The end result will be better connectivity for KL and its surrounding cities, while reducing the number of cars that enter the capital.