The Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak, in a statement on its Facebook page today, said the smart system should better facilitate traffic flow along this expressway, which had been plagued with ‘horrible congestion’ previously.

“(The system) can also help in traffic management.

“The smart system is able to adjust traffic light control based on the information collected from the sensors, edge devices and video systems (livestream),” it said in the statement, issued following the activation of the traffic lights at the Intan intersection earlier in the morning, where Deputy

Minos, in a statement on Friday, had described the traffic congestion along the expressway, due to the upgrading works on the traffic light intersection, as the ‘worst crisis faced by the council’.

JKR Sarawak, in a statement also released on Friday, had said that despite the activation of the smart system at the Intan intersection, all motorists must continue to be alert and exercise caution as the road upgrading works.

“Exercise caution when driving, obey all traffic instructions for your safety until the works are completed.”

The Intan intersection is formerly one of the five roundabouts along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway being converted into traffic light intersections as an effort to mitigate traffic jams occurring along the stretch.

It is also the first roundabout in Samarahan Division already converted into an intersection – the first two roundabouts-turned-intersections, at Tabuan Tranquility and Setia Raja, are in Kuching Division.

Meanwhile, Aidel also commented on Facebook about the event, saying that the conversion works on the five roundabouts had reached completion rate of over 67 per cent, which was ahead of schedule.