HEAVY traffic has been reported across several major highways in Malaysia following a surge in vehicles during the festive travel period, with key northbound routes experiencing slow movement as motorists head towards their destinations.
Among the affected stretches on the North-South Expressway (PLUS) towards the north are the Rawang to Sungai Buaya interchange and the Lembah Beringin to Tanjung Malim corridor, as of 10am.
According to updates on the X platform by the Traffic Management Centre (TMC) of the Malaysian Highway Authority (Lembaga Lebuhraya Malaysia, LLM), smart lane operations on the PLUS Expressway have been activated from 9am to 9pm between Kilometer 439 and Kilometer 435 in the southbound direction to help ease congestion.
Traffic flow on the PLUS highway was reported to be slow in both directions, including northbound from Senai Utara to Kulai and southbound from Putra Mahkota to Nilai Utara.
An incident was also reported at Kilometer 274.1 on the Nilai to Bandar Ainsdale stretch, where a lane was obstructed following a road accident affecting the right lane.
Despite the congestion at several locations, traffic conditions across most major highways remain largely under control. Senior Assistant Engineer at the LLM Traffic Management Centre, Saiful Ezri Jamaluddin, said traffic as of 10am was generally manageable, with only a few locations experiencing slow movement, particularly routes heading towards the East Coast.
Overall, traffic on highways under LLM supervision was flowing smoothly, except in selected areas near Gombak, including between Kilometer 36 and Kilometer 37 in the direction from Gombak to Genting Sempah.
"One other location identified as experiencing light congestion is from Km39.6 to Km40.8 heading towards Bukit Tinggi, with slow-moving traffic over a distance of approximately 1.2 kilometres," he said.
Based on current monitoring, only routes heading towards the East Coast are showing slower movement, while other routes remain smooth. Traffic is also expected to ease compared with the previous day.
On the previous day, approximately 2.9 million vehicles were recorded using major highways nationwide, reflecting the high volume of festive travel. - March 22, 2026
