North-South Expressway - Usable?

Received the following write-up via the email. After reading the write-up, could frequent NSE users verify the scenario depicted below.

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Dear TV3 and the Star,

I am a frequent user of our North-South Expressway and I have this important experience to highlight and share:-

I was driving back to Penang yesterday afternoon (24 June 08) when I saw the unfortunate accident in the opposite direction involving the passenger bus that skidded and overturned at Tanjung Malim. I didn't know that the skidded bus was from hometown Penang until I watched TV3 news later in the evening and was shocked to learn that the accident took two lives.

Now, this is what I need to share:-

I am a building contractor with over twenty years of experience and I have been driving my 5 series BMW (latest generation and a dammed solid road holding car) each time I travelled to KL. Lately, the new extended 3 lanes highway had been opened up for use and since then, I have also been using it quite oftenly.

However, when I used it each time it is wet, I can really 'feel' that the new road surface is extremely slippery! To share with some of you, my car comes with a built-in traction control mechanism (skidding prevention mechanism) and you can feel it each time it is activated. Previously, I don't come across this kind of slippery feel except when I drive over a paddle of water at certain speed.

From my observation as a building contractor, the 'wearing course' of the new road surface could be too fine or too smooth and totally unsuitable for highway use! The wearing course (top premix layer) mix design for highways should be of minimum 20mm coarse aggregate mix that will give us the required bond between the surface and our tyres. Fine wearing course (14mm coarse aggregate size and below) is only suitable for normal road. (a proper test need to be carried out to determine the mix design of the wearing course).

Since the opening of the three lanes highway, I had seen cars skidding in front me or in the opposite direction and approximately 2 weeks ago, one of my friends who is also a frequent user of our NSE, came to share with me about his slippery feeling as well as the many skidded cars he had seen lately.

I am highlighting this to TV3 and the Star with the hope that a thorough investigation could be carried out immediately to find out how or what causes the bus to skid. A proper and independent test need to be carried out urgently to determine the design mix of the wearing course. This can save lives.

For those bcc recipients, please share this with all your friends. If you are using the new lanes and if it is wet, make sure you drive slowly!!!!

Regards,
Jensen Y, Penang.

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Giving a benefit of doubt to the expressway contractor, please rectify / check the situation. The company that is maintaining the expressway, PLUS, should be looking into this as well. Be pro-active, meaning - don't only act when a major accident happened at that stretch of the expressway.

Tags: North-South Expressway, TV3, Star, PLUS, Tanjung Malim, Skidding Prevention Mechanism, Built-In Traction Control Mechanism, Coarse Aggregate