KUALA LUMPUR: Twelve concrete beams for the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) project fell from a 51-tonne lorry during an accident in Cheras yesterday.
The 11am incident caused a massive traffic congestion in the Middle Ring Road 2 as the road leading to Taman Billion roundabout was closed to vehicles.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall, via its Integrated Transport Information System’s (ITIS) Twitter account, reported the road was reopened at 1.40pm.
Meanwhile, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRTCorp) in a statement last night said operations to clear the road of concrete tunnel lining segments which had fallen off the lorry began immediately after the accident.
It said the 12 pieces of segments were quickly moved to the side of the road and a crane was then mobilised to lift the segments into a back-up lorry.
The lanes leading to the Taman Billion roundabout were reopened to all traffic at 1.30pm.
“MRT Corp reiterates that the fallen material did not cause any injury to anyone. No car was damaged from the fallen segments.
“A car was however damaged at the rear by the lorry when it had to brake suddenly,” the statement read.
MRTCorp said the lorry belongs to a transportation contractor for the MRT Project Underground Works Package Contractor MMC Gamuda KVMRT (T) Sdn Bhd and was transporting tunnel lining segments to the Pudu Launch Shaft.
It stated that MRTCorp was investigating the incident and action will be taken against parties found responsible for the accident.
“Initial information available showed that the driver, who has 23 years of lorry driving experience, had the appropriate driver’s license.
“He had also gone through the induction course for transporting segments which was carried out by MMC Gamuda for all lorry drivers.”
MRTCorp also acknowledged that the location later experienced flash flooding due to extremely heavy rain which began about 3pm.
It said a number of the New Jersey Barriers (NJB) used to line the worksite were swept onto the middle of the road.
“The Emergency Respond Team from IJM Construction Sdn Bhd, the Work Package Contractor for this section of works, were immediately mobilised to remove the floating NJBs and rescue the drivers from their stalled vehicles.
Water receded when the rain stopped at 4.45pm.
