The Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) flyover linking Kepong and Selayang that was closed since Aug 3 was opened Sunday to traffic, including heavy vehicles, after being declared safe.
Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed said the flyover was declared safe although three of the 18 carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) bars installed on pole 28 had snapped in August.
“Investigation and study by a special Works Ministry team, together with consultants from German consulting firm Leonhardt, Andre and Partners, confirmed that the August incident did not affect the flyover’s cross-beam.
“So after almost six weeks, the MRR2 flyover is safe and all six lanes are open after two were closed following the incident,” Mohd Zin told reporters after seeing repair work on the pole.
He said his ministry made the decision to open the MRR2 as its structure had been returned to its original state after the fixing of a tie-frame and ‘temporary pre-stressing’ work was completed Sunday.
He said the CFRP used earlier was among steps to strengthen the pole and closing two lanes was a safety measure while pole 28 was being repaired.
On the delay in the repair work that was scheduled to finish on Aug 24, Mohd Zin said it was because of the difficulty in getting steel plate for the pole’s structure as well as due to the public holiday for Merdeka Day.
He said the special team also inspected the flyover’s design to ensure its cross beam was able to withstand the degree of utilisation compared to a similar incident in 2006.
“Study found damage to three CFRPs caused concrete to bear two per cent more load but all additional load was still below the limit allowed and did not adversely affect the flyover’s structure and it is safe to use,” he said.
Mohd Zin said Malaysian Highway Authority had been directed to monitor the flyover from time to time and in detail to ensure the incident did not happen again.
Mohd Zin said all costs to repair the flyover would be borne by the original contractor of the project, Bridgex Sdn Bhd, as the flyover was still within the “Defect Liability Period”.
The 1.7km flyover was built by Konsortium SUKMIN-Bumi Hiway-KKM (Wilayah) on a design by consulting firm Maunsel, Sharma and Zakaria.
On Aug 9, 2004, the flyover was closed to traffic after 31 of its 33 poles had cracks and was re-opened on Dec 6 of the same year and on Feb 4, 2006 it was again closed for the same reason and re-opened six months later.-BERNAMA
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