KUALA TERENGGANU: In exactly seven days, Muslims nationwide will be celebrating Aidilfitri and the exasperation of the 'balik kampung' experience will no doubt add drama to the long holiday stretch when many travellers will spend most of their time on the road rather than leisurely eating rendang and ketupat at home.
Nearly half a million vehicles are expected to travel along the second East-West Expressway towards Terengganu and traffic congestion at the various exit points along the expressway is expected to be massive and those trying to beat the queue should be wary of traffic police on the lookout for offenders.
But for those passing through Kuala Terengganu or northward bound towards Kelantan, a visit to the iconic drawbridge across Sungai Terengganu will soothe the tired mind and body.
The drawbridge, which costs RM248 million and took five years to complete, is now undergoing its finishing touches and is expected to divert some traffic from the Sultan Mahmud bridge when it will be temporarily opened to the public on June 2.
Mentri Besar Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar who announced the much-awaited news recently, raised anxiety not just among local residents but most of all the local authority and the police who are anticipating issues from the use of the new infrastructure.
Samsuri, who inspected the facility on Tuesday, said that the public would be allowed to travel across the drawbridge until June 17 as this would allow the authorities to identify and rectify any problems, especially those associated with safety.
“But please don’t stop anywhere along the span of the drawbridge. You will stop traffic and create congestions,” he said.
The drawbridge is expected to cut travelling time from the city in the south to the Sultan Mahmud Airport in Seberang Takir and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu on a four-lane coastal road at the north bank by about 15 minutes.
“The drawbridge is unlike the Sultan Mahmud Bridge. It is definitely an outstanding structure unlike any other in the state. Everyone seems to be eager to be among the first to cross it and this will create some issues for the police,” said Anuar Hitam 58, a former field manager with a plantation company in Kemaman.
He said by day, the four 15-storey high towers and sky bridges were awesome sights worthy of selfies to mint the experience of just having the structures as a backdrop, and by night the lightings that illuminate the structures were simply breathtaking, even while works were still in progress.
It is expected that those driving over the drawbridge would try to make a stop for selfies or slow down their vehicles to capture the experience on video but State Police Chief Datuk Aidi Ismail warned motorists not to stop anywhere along its 638-metre span.
Aidi said traffic policemen would be stationed at strategic points to ensure a smooth flow of vehicles as police were expecting bottlenecks which could result in massive jams.
"Road users must follow police instructions. They (motorists) must not stop their vehicles anywhere along the span to take pictures. Safety is a priority," he said recently.
Anticipating a large crowd at the Shah Bandar recreational area where the drawbridge is the perfect background for photography, the Kuala Terengganu City Council would mobilise its enforcement officers to act against litterbugs.
A recent highlight in the social media on the area strewn with rubbish had prompted the local authority to impose strict by-laws on cleanliness and those caught littering would be fined RM50 on the spot, not just within the recreational areas but also elsewhere in the State.
"We cannot have a first class structure (the drawbridge) but a third class civic behaviour. It is a bad reflection on our attitude towards cleanliness," said Afzan Abdul Ghani, 38, a civil servant who lives in Seberang Takir.
Afzan used to travel on the Sultan Mahmud bridge to work but now she has an alternative route which could
save her about 10 minutes of travelling time as well as avoiding peak hour congestions on the bridge.