SMART and smarter... Do you know what SMART stands for?
Becuase of the severe flooding in Klang valley on Sunday - it rained continuously for 6 hours which burst the banks the Klang and Gombak rivers; and flooded most of Klang valley at heights of 1-2 metres - the SMART project will be completed one week ahead of schedule.
SMART means "Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel"
Construction began in 2003 for SMART – the longest and most technologically advanced tunnel in Malaysia to date. The 13.2m diameter tunnel consists of a 9.7km stormwater bypass tunnel, with a 4km dual-deck motorway within the stormwater tunnel. The main purpose of SMART is to solve the problem of flash flooding in Kuala Lumpur and also to reduce traffic jams during the daily rush hour.
I rode once into the tunnel with Donny and it was impressive and it has three modes before converting the motorway into stormwater tunnel - it would not be pleasant to be caught at the conversion....LOL.
The SMART will work on a three-mode system:
- MODE 1: Normal conditions. When there is low rainfall and no storm. The motorway section is opened to motorists
- MODE 2: Moderate storm. The SMART system is activated and flood water is diverted into the bypass tunnel in the lower channel of the motorway tunnel. The upper channel will still be open to motorists.
- MODE 3: Storm. The tunnel will be closed to motorists. Once all vehicles have vacated the tunnel, automatic water-tight gates are opened to allow flood water to pass through.
References:
www.roadtraffic-technology.com
The Star, 13 June 2007
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