KUANTAN: The days of unbearable holiday gridlock along the meandering trunk roads of Cameron Highlands will be a thing of the past if the proposed RM800 million Cameron Highlands Bypass becomes a reality.
There are two distinct stretches in this project.
The first spans 23.5km between Ringlet and Tringkap, Pahang, which will facilitate better traffic flow to and from the south of Cameron Highlands.
This route will greatly help motorists from the Klang Valley, who use the Tapah interchange at the North-South Expressway (NSE). It will also facilitate travel for those who use the trunk road from Bentong, Pahang.
The project’s second stretch will service a route that connects the north of Cameron Highlands.
This 7km stretch between Kuala Terla and Blue Valley will link up to Federal Road PT185, a route which leads to the Simpang Pulai NSE interchange in Perak towards the west, and Gua Musang, Kelantan, towards the east.
Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail told the New Straits Times that the federal government had agreed to conduct a feasibility study worth RM1.5 million on the Cameron Highlands Bypass project next year.
“The Cameron Highlands Bypass was agreed upon during engagements for the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), which were held between Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali and state governments on Aug 16.
“There will be a joint feasibility study involving the ministry and state government that will be conducted next year.
“The project comes under Chapter 10: High Impact Projects for Pahang 2050, which is listed in the Pahang State Structure Plan 2050.
“If the project is found to be viable and doable, it will be included in the 12th Malaysia Plan,” Wan Rosdy said during a courtesy call by the NST at his office here recently.
The 12MP will be implemented from next year until 2025. Though there has yet to be any firm timeline from the state government, the project is expected to start anytime within the 12MP period.
In explaining the routes, Wan Rosdy said the first phase of the bypass spanning 23.5km from Ringlet to Tringkap would cost RM613.32 million.
The second phase, spanning the 7km stretch from Blue Valley to Kuala Terla, will cost RM240.93 million.
The existing road between Ringlet and Tringkap, part of Federal Route 59, is a 26km stretch that takes 15 to 20 minutes to traverse on a normal day.
However, on public holidays, such as the recent Deepavali weekend, travelling along the narrow and hilly stretch could take an hour and 15 minutes, or up to three hours if congestion is bad.
It is the same with the trunk road between Blue Valley and Kuala Terla, which often sees heavy congestion during peak periods.
Wan Rosdy said motorists would experience heavy congestion at various towns and hamlets along the route through Pahang, Perak and Kelantan to get to Cameron Highlands.
The Cameron Highlands Bypass, he said, would make travelling a breeze.
There are four stretches on the trunk road to Cameron Highlands that are the worst in terms of traffic flow, and three of those are within Pahang.
“The new bypass will greatly reduce traffic congestion at three places: Tanah Rata, Brinchang and Kampung Raja. These are among the locations which experience heavy traffic during holidays and peak seasons,” said Wan Rosdy.
The bypass is part of an overall development plan for the highlands.
He said there were proposals to build a better public transport system in the highlands resort town. They included trams, a bus rapid transit system and possibly a mass rapid transit that will be integrated with parking facilities, bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways.
“This project is to improve Cameron Highlands’ traffic and road system, especially during the holiday season. It is also aimed at improving accessibility and reducing the use of private vehicles by encouraging tourists to use public transport, such as trams or stage buses that will be introduced at hotels.
“All these will help reduce traffic congestion in Cameron Highlands.”
He said the proposals to mitigate traffic problems had been outlined in the transport report for Cameron Highlands 2030.
The menteri besar gave his assurance that the Cameron Highlands Bypass will prioritise the environment, and avoid the destruction of forests.
“Any developments involving land and forests, and even more so on highlands, will need an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
“The state government is very strict when it comes to the EIA, and we want to ensure that the environment is top of our priority list.”
Wan Rosdy said Cameron Highlands was recognised as the top domestic tourist destination last year, making Pahang the most visited state.
He said 9.2 million tourists visited the highlands last year.
“Despite the terrible traffic congestion, people continue to go to Cameron Highlands on weekends and during holiday seasons.
“There are so many things to do there — visit the tea plantation, flower gardens and strawberry farms, jungle trekking, golfing and many more. Therefore, building alternative routes to Cameron Highlands is vital,” he said.