Several roads in Alor Setar closed tomorrow and Saturday

ALOR SETAR, Oct 18 ( Bernama) -- Several main roads here will be closed beginning tomorrow and Saturday for the parade and guard-of-honour ceremony to be held in conjunction with the installation of the 29th Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah.

Kota Setar police chief ACP Mohd Rozi Jidin said the closure which begins at 7 am involved the main route of the parade from Dataran Wisma Darulaman via the Darulaman Highway to the City Square in front of Masjid Zahir.

Also closed would be the traffic light junction at the Wisma Darulaman intersection, as well as junctions at the Old Alor Setar Hospital, Bakar Bata, Kanchut / Bina Darulaman Sdn Bhd, Tambang Badak, Istana Lama, the old Court, and the Simpang Pekan Melayu.

"For the rehearsal tomorrow and the actual parade day on Saturday, all roads connecting to the main route will also have traffic diverted, namely traffic from Persiaran Sultan Abdul Hamid will be diverted at the traffic light junction of Bunga Tanjung towards the Sultan Abdul Halim Highway and from the Pekan Melayu traffic light to Jalan Tunku Ibrahim (city centre)

"There will also be a diversion of traffic coming from north, namely Anak Bukit, where vehicles will be directed to make a 'U' in front of the Kedah Club to enter Jalan Suka Menanti via the Seberang Pumpong bridge or via Jalan Pantai Johor towards Jalan Suka Menanti or to Shahab Perdana.

"Vehicles from Shahab Perdana will be diverted at the Taman Pandan traffic light and can pass through via Jalan Gangsa or Jalan Suka Menanti to head to Jalan Pantai Johor, while vehicles from Jalan Langgar, Sultanah Bahiyah Highway and North Toll Plaza will be diverted to the Alor Semadom traffic light junction heading towards Jalan Tun Razak, Jalan Stadium, and the City Centre," he said during a press conference today.

Mohd Rozi said all types of buses were advised to use the Alor (South) Toll Plaza to enter or leave Shahab Perdana, while at the Stadium roundabout, all vehicles would not be allowed to head to the Bakar Bata traffic light junction. Similarly, no vehicles would be allowed to head to the Tambang Badak traffic light junction from the Telok Wanjah roundabout.

He said all vehicles from Jalan Langgar passing through Jalan Telok Wanjah would not be allowed to head to the Tambang Badak traffic light, and would instead be diverted to the route below the Telok Wanjah / Lorong Merpati bridge.

"Traffic from Jalan Tengah/Meranti and Jalan Tambang Badak will be diverted to left, straight to Jalan Gangsa / Aeon Big, while vehicles from Jalan Gangsa would not be allowed to turn into Jalan Tambang Badak, and vehicles from Jalan Putra heading to the old Court junction will be diverted to Jalan Tengah/ Jalan Pintu 10," he said.

According to Mohd Rozi all the roads leading to and from the main route of the parade will be manned by 60 traffic policemen and four officers throughout the period.

"The roads will be reopened to all traffic after all the events are over and all road users are advised to plan their journey and use alternative routes to avoid possible congestion," he said.

He said the police would also be assisted by 350 personnel from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and the General Operations Force (PGA) to ensure the safety of bystanders during the historic ceremony, which takes place 59 years after the late Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Sultan Badlishah was installed as the 28th Kedah ruler.

-- BERNAMA