BAGAN DATUK – Those travelling back to their hometowns to celebrate Syawal were happy and satisfied with the smooth traffic flow following the opening of the West Coast Expressway (WCE) between Hutan Melintang and Teluk Intan since last Friday.Mohd Rosni Abdullah Sani, 41 said since the opening of the highway, he and his mother who travel daily to his younger brother’s house in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan from Sitiawan feels safer because the traffic is more manageable.
He added the road condition previously in Hutan Melintang was uneven and many heavy vehicles use the road frequently which could result in accidents if one was not so lucky.
“The previous road was dangerous, sometimes I get worried if anything happens, or the vehicle is damaged because of the road being uneven.
“In fact, villagers who ride motorcycles will come out of the intersection recklessly, and we need to drive with more caution,” he said when met at the Teluk Intan toll plaza, here today.
Besides reducing travel time, Mohd Rosni’s sister Rozilawati, 40, said the whole family was anticipating eagerly for the opening of the highway as they often experienced flat tyres on several occasions from using the road before it.
“We feel the old road which was often used by industrial lorries that made nails to fall everywhere until it caused the risk of flat tyres, and our car had stopped three times due to this problem.
“It is a huge relief when there are facilities on the highway such as surau and toilet for public convenience,” said the nasi lemak seller from Sitiawan.
The opening of Section 8, which has two lanes, will serve as a short-cut route for people who travel between Sabak Bernam, Bagan Datuk, Hutan Melintang, Teluk Intan and Sitiawan.
The 233-km long RM5 billion WCE starts in Banting, Selangor and ends in Taiping, Perak.
— BERNAMA
