Flaws dog new RM14.2mil pedestrian bridge

The public elevated walkway connecting the Sultan Ismail light rail transit (LRT) station to the Medan Tuanku monorail station. — Pictures by Choo Choo May

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/238544 (Story by Ram Anand, 17/8/2013)

Despite costing RM14.2 million, a recently launched pedestrian bridge connecting a monorail station and a LRT station has not been functioning properly. Half of the lights on the 680 metre bridge broke down within a week after its launch, said Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng and Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.

The MPs said the escalators and lifts on both ends of the bridge also never functioned. The bridge connects the Medan Tuanku monorail station with the Sultan Ismail LRT station, launched on July 8. It was commissioned by the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and built by Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad.

"Also, there was supposed to be CCTV cameras at the bridge for pedestrian security. But that has not been installed," Lim noted. He said that there were also supposed to be benches for the elderly and pregnant women, but even that are absent. "The blind pedestrian track ends halfway across the bridge, and the plant watering system has not been working, causing the plants to die," Lim said. He said that the condition of the bridge after just one month of its launching seems to suggest that "cutting corners" was involved in s the project.

'Cement from Mars?'

Lim noted that at RM14.2 million the bridge was not cheap. "I don't know what the cost was for. I don't know what cement costs so much. Maybe the cement was from Mars," he quipped. Lim said that he had checked the status of the bridge with DBKL and was informed that the builders Prasarana has yet to hand over the management of the bridge back to the council. "They said there was no electricity so the lifts were not working yet," Lim said. "DBKL has never succeeded in any project. We need to revamp DBKL's delivery system," he added.

Fong, meanwhile, said that there should be a maintenance period of at least six months undertaken by Prasarana to ensure the bridge's facilities are fully functional before the handover to DBKL. He noted that taking into consideration the length of the bridge, construction works had consumed around RM20,000 for every metre.

Related news: After a month, pricey RM14m bridge looking worn out - http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/after-a-month-pricey-rm14m-bridge-looking-worn-out#sthash.Mbi4UAuZ.dpuf