The Minister of Works will start the SUKE Expressway tomorrow night, will announce the opening date of phase 1, toll fares

The Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Overhead Expressway (SUKE) will soon open to the public. How soon? Senior Minister of Public Works Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof will inaugurate the new RM5.7 billion highway tomorrow night (September 15) and at the kick-off event he will announce the time and date that Phase 1 of SUKE will be open to the public.

Will there be a free introductory period? We’ll know tomorrow night, including the toll fee for the 24.4 km highway connecting Sungai Besi to Ulu Kelang in the Klang Valley.

By the way, when SUKE opens to the public in the very near future, only the fully completed Phase 1 will be accessible. We sampled this stretch during a press conference today, from the unmissable signed Cheras-Kajang interchange to the Bukit Antarabangsa terminus. The section from Sri Petaling (Kesas, site of the Endah Parade) to Cheras-Kajang will open later.

The Cheras-Kajang interchange is located near Plaza Phoenix and features Malaysia’s first spiral ramp. From the Cheras-Kajang Expressway aka the Grand Saga, you enter SUKE via a spiral that goes two turns before reaching the top and joining the highway – this reminds me of Tokyo’s Rainbow Bridge and some bridge in China.

This spiral ramp is a novelty, but it was done out of necessity. SUKE is at its highest point when it crosses Cheras-Kajang Road and the Kajang Metro Line, and a straight and straight ramp would be too steep. Typical highway intersection detours as seen on PLUS and elsewhere require a large plot of land. From above you can see that the spiral ramp is bounded by an apartment complex and a residential area on the mainland with not much padding – this is the only way.

Speaking of heights, Cheras and Kajang residents will know how tall the SUKE section that crosses the CKE. With a height of 56.4 meters, equivalent to an 18-story building, this is actually the third highest elevated road in Malaysia, after Penang’s Bukit Kukus Couple Road and Rawang’s Detour. The overhead segmented box girder extending across the junction is also the tallest superstructure to date in Malaysia – again, this is unnecessary.

As you head towards Ampang from the CKE intersection, the KL skyline is on your left and the hills on your right. One particular piece – Tasik Tambahan – is perfect for an R&R area, and indeed, this is in the Prolintas plan. The site high above the hill has been marked and the facility will eventually house food outlets. Consider this a “SUKE Lookout Point”, a cool hangout spot with panoramic views of KL.

Another unique SUKE feature is at the Jalan Ampang area, where the bisecting (split) structure design allows sunlight to pass through the Ampang River, which has also been directly illuminated. Sunlight is necessary for a healthy river ecosystem, so it’s a good move even at the higher cost. If I remember correctly, there is a stretch of road on AKLEH (near Saloma Bridge) that also has roads that split with the river in the middle. Under the highway structure is a linear park with a 1.6 km jogging trail.

Last but not least on the list of unique SUKE features is the majestic two-story structure at Alam Damai in Cheras, where each floor goes in a different direction. We can’t see this for ourselves as the structure is in Phase 2, which will open at a later date.

SUKE has 14 interchanges along the length of the main line 24.4 km (57.7 km if all interchanges are included), and these are Sri Petaling, Sungai Besi, Alam Damai, Cheras-Kajang, Cheras-Hartamas, Bukit Teratai, Tasik Tambahan, Permai, Kosas, Pekan Ampang, Ampang Point, Ulu Kelang, Hillview and Bukit Antarabangsa. As mentioned, the stretch that will be opened very soon is from Cheras-Kajang to Bukit Antarabangsa.

The usefulness of a highway also depends on how it connects to existing highways and trunk roads, and SUKE is very connected. Alternatives Ring Road 2 (MRR2) is connected to the aforementioned ring road, Kesas (at Sri Petaling), KL-Seremban Expressway, Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya), Grand Saga, Expressway Ampang-Kuala Lumpur (AKLEH) and Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway (DUKE). The future East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) will also be connected.

The highway has three toll stations – Alam Damai, Bukit Teratai and Ampang. The following two units are in the early stages and will be opened soon. Fare? We’ll know tomorrow night.

According to Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah, CEO of Prolintas group, SUKE is an efficient traffic dispersion solution for the eastern part of KL, which is expected to reduce traffic on MRR2 by 30%, Jalan Ampang to reduce 36% and Jalan Loke Yew down 12% during peak times. hours. Those three roads are notorious for traffic jams.

SUKE, 90% highway, has to be one of the hottest highways in Malaysia, and I’ve been glued to the bus windows the whole time. Driving enthusiasts will also salivate. We did our best to capture the new highway in all its empty glory – check out our drone shots of SUKE’s spiral ramp at the intersection. Cheras-Kajang Highway as well as the beautiful “lookout point” where future R&R will be located.

Keep an eye on opening dates and ticket prices. And now, More about SUKE here. Check out the map – is this new highway a good fit for your daily commute? If yes, how?