Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi has expressed concerns about a potential safety hazard on the ELITE highway. Road safety activist Lando Zawawi has recently shared what appears to be a conversation from a whistleblower which reveals a potential hazard involving a gas pipeline that was constructed below the highway.
Gas pipeline allegedly constructed underneath ELITE highway without permission
According to the Facebook post, it was alleged that Petronas had constructed a gas pipeline at 14km of ELITE highway without permission from PLUS. The whistleblower added that the pipe was installed between the highway piles and it poses a safety hazard.
It was claimed that PLUS didn’t want Petronas to release the gas due to safety concerns but the oil and gas company insisted on proceeding. The whistleblower also shared a gas pipeline incident in 2022 where a Sabah-Sarawak gas pipeline exploded in Lawas allegedly due to a landslide. A man was killed while two others were injured due to the explosion.
PLUS confirms unauthorised gas pipeline at KM14.4 of ELITE highway
Shortly after Nanta ordered PLUS to issue a full report, the highway concessionaire released an official response at 4:15pm. PLUS confirmed that the construction of a gas pipeline construction was carried out by a third party at KM14.4 of the ELITE highway without authorisation.
PLUS added that their consultant had carried out an assessment of the situation and concluded that KM14.4 of the ELITE highway is stable and safe for highway users. It also mentioned that rectification works were carried out since January 2024 and it will continue to monitor the progress at the location.
ELITE Highway is a 63km highway which connects Shah Alam in Selangor to Nilai in Sembilan, and it also serves as the main access route to Putrajaya and KLIA.
[ SOURCE 2, IMAGE SOURCE ]