BENTONG: Two sections of the 306km Central Spine Road (CSR), which connects Bentong and Lebu were officially opened today.
Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the opening of the 28.5km stretch, will help reduce travel time and serve as an alternative for those travelling to Kelantan.
"The Bentong bypass will ease traffic congestion in Bentong town during the festive and school holidays. Studies show the current stretch will reduce travel time between 50 minutes and an hour besides preventing accidents," he said in his speech at the Mempaga roundabout here today.
He later jointly officiated the stretch with Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail before they inspected the road today.
The stretch at a cost of RM631.98 million is part of Package 5 (Kampung Asap - Kampung Sertik known as 5C and Bentong bypass known as 5D) of the toll-free four-lane dual-carriageway project.
Once opened, road users travelling from Kuala Lumpur or Kuantan towards Raub, Lipis and Kelantan will no longer need to travel into Bentong town.
Motorists plying the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway (east coast-bound) can enter the CSR near the Bentong Mara Junior Science College (MRSM) while road users from Kuantan and Temerloh can exit the East Coast Expressway after the Karak toll plaza towards the Benus industrial area and enter CSR through a slip road near Kampung Benus.
Motorists will later exit at Lebu junction to resume their journey along the existing single-carriageway, Jalan Bentong-Raub which connects both towns.
CSR, which deploys the Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP) method, comprises six phases: from Kuala Krai to Jambatan Sungai Lakit, Kelantan (47km); Jambatan Sungai Lakit to Gua Musang, Kelantan (60km); Gua Musang to Kampung Relong, Pahang (94km); Kampung Relong to Raub, Pahang (45km); Raub to Bentong (54km); and Bentong to East Coast Expressway junction (8km).