UPDATE (29/03/2008) : Once more yesterday the SMART Tunnel was again shut off to motorist. Without more information I can only speculate that Mode 3 operations was once more enacted on to relieve the flood waters in KL. Once more traffic in KL and PJ saw a drastic increase that caused massive jams all over. I myself was stuck close to 40 minutes on a stretch no longer that 2 km!
The Smart Tunnel was closed of to motorist on Saturday March 22nd 2008 and was finally open up for traffic use on Wednesday at 5pm. The four day timeframe taken for the closure saw the whiplash effect of the dramatic increase of traffic in Kuala Lumpur – the traffic situation already considered to be chronic was worsen.
Finally as the tunnel was opened for use once more, with public grouses ever increasing since the closure, only then did the SMART GM of Operation Mohd Fuad Kamal Ariffin give a press statement – Why tunnel reopening was delayed – explaining the closure.
The reason given at the time for the 96 hours closure was that the tunnel had to enter into Mode 3 of operation that being the complete flooding of the tunnel (I.e. both the lower channel & the motorway). Afterwards the flood water had to be pumped out, the motorway physically cleaned and all electrical equipment and systems checked to ensure they were in working condition.
As official statements go this one sure didn’t seat well with the people. After all isn’t the full flooding of the tunnel a feature specifically catered for by the SMART tunnel. In a reference to previous statements about the tunnel, and as noted down here in the Wikipedia entry of the SMART Tunnel under the section How SMART Tunnel Works:
Third mode (Major storms)
At the third mode of operation the motorways will be closed to traffic. When this mode is in operation, the motorway will be closed to all traffic. After making sure all vehicles have exited the motorway, automated water-tight gates will be opened to allow flood waters to pass through. The motorway will be reopened to traffic within 48 hours of closure.
This was later on followed by an another article later on featuring KL Flood Mitigation Project director K. J. Abraham – Smart Tunnel was closed for safety reasons – who proceeded to site causes of safety, ensuring proper functionality and cleaning & disinfecting of the tunnel in lieu of this being the first real test for Mode 3 operations since the tunnels opening in 2007.
So excuse me for wondering what exactly was the extra delay actually for. Thus far there have been a couple of stories/rumours (how true are they I will leave up toy you to decide) on what exactly caused the delay in re-opening the SMART Tunnel:
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Flood waters brought in unexpected amounts of rubbish that clogged the pumps.
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Failure of the Storage Reservoir & culverts in discharging the flood water possibly due to river already swollen with rain water.
Whatever the case, this Achilles Heel of the 1.8 billion SMART Tunnel project is going to be a pain in the rear for the denizens and motorist of KL if it continues to persist. And in view of it being that time of year where seasonal rains are sweeping KL almost daily this issue can easily cross over from being a mere risk in a full fledge reality.
