KL-Karak Expressway sinkhole caused by ECRL tunnel work, says minister

KUALA SELANGOR - The sinkhole found on Kilometre 66.1 of the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) near Bentong yesterday was believed to be due to the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) tunnel work, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

He added that work on the tunnel, including digging through concrete pavement, has been carried out since Tuesday.

"I have gone to the scene and seen what happened. I was satisfied because the work of burying the sediment was done quickly.

"Initial investigations found there were ECRL underground tunnel construction works across the highway in the respective location. I have instructed the departments and agencies involved to provide me regular updates on the incident," he said when met at the West Coast Highway (WCE) Section 6 Site Visit, Assam Java, here on Wednesday.

The Works Ministry said the collapse of the ECRL 2 tunnel caused the ground 13 metres above the tunnel surface to sink on the eastbound route of the highway.

The statement said that in terms of long-term improvements, a comprehensive investigation will be carried out by the Public Works Ministry through the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) with the cooperation of parties involved.

"Continuous observation will be continued to detect if there are underground movements in the location of the scene," the statement said.

The incident with the sinkhole caused the closure of both directions at km 66.1 at around 8pm on Wednesday.

LLM, in a statement uploaded on Twitter, informed the public that the closure had caused congestion in both directions.

It was reported that a sinkhole appeared at KM66.1 of the KLK near the Bentong toll plaza, forcing the dual-carrigeway to be closed to all vehicles on Tuesday.

The stretch was closed after a sinkhole measuring 10m long and 7m deep was formed after the road caved in, and repair work was immediately carried out.