North–South Expressway Northern Route

See also: North-South Expressway, Malaysia and North-South Expressway Southern Route

Expressway 1
North–South Expressway Northern Route
[[File: North–South Expressway Northern Route (Peninsular Malaysia) |290px|alt=]]
Route information
Part of
Maintained by PLUS Expressways
Length:	460 km (290 mi)
Existed:	1985 – present
History:	Completed in 1994
Major junctions
North end:	Phetkasem Road at the Malaysia–Thailand border near Bukit Kayu Hitam, Kedah
	Federal Route 1 Changlun–Kuala Perlis Highway Butterworth Outer Ring Road Butterworth–Kulim Expressway Penang Bridge Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge Federal Route 136 Federal Route 60 Federal Route 76 Guthrie Corridor Expressway Sungai Buloh Highway
South end:	New Klang Valley Expressway at Bukit Lanjan, Selangor
Location
Primary destinations:	Jitra, Alor Setar, Sungai Petani, George Town, Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Ipoh, Gopeng, Tapah, Rawang, Kuala Lumpur
Highway system
Highways in Malaysia Expressways Federal State

The North–South Expressway Northern Route (Malay: Lebuhraya Utara–Selatan Jajaran Utara, Chinese: 南北大道北干线; pinyin: Nánběi Dàdào Běi Gànxiàn), or the Alor Setar-Penang Bridge-Kuala Lumpur Route, designated as expressway E1 and is part of highway 2 of the Asian Highway Network, is a mostly tolled, interstate controlled-access highway in Peninsular Malaysia. The 460 kilometres (290 miles) expressway forms the north section of the larger North–South Expressway, passing through the northwestern states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. The expressway begins at the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah where the Malaysia–Thailand border lies, and ends at Bukit Lanjan in Selangor where the expressway interchanges with the New Klang Valley Expressway. The expressway is operated by PLUS Expressways.

The expressway runs in a north–south direction close to the northwestern coast of the peninsula, connecting several major towns including Alor Setar, Butterworth, Taiping, Ipoh and Rawang while also providing access to several rural villages on its path. The expressway runs parallel to the existing Federal Route 1; it is also concurrent to the expressway from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Jitra. The ticket system is used for toll collection between the Hutan Kampung and Sungai Dua toll plazas, and also from the Juru toll plaza up to Bukit Lanjan, where the toll collection system merges with that of the New Klang Valley Expressway. The section from Sungai Dua to Juru in the state of Penang is toll-free due to heavy usage by local commuters.

Route description

The expressway begins at the Malaysia-Thailand border at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah, where the road continues as Phetkasem Road in Thailand. The expressway proceeds southwards through the states of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor, where it terminates at its interchange with the New Klang Valley Expressway, also designated as route E1. While kilometre readings are taken from north to south, exits are numbered in reverse, from south to north. PLUS Expressways, previously Projek Lebuhraya Utara–Selatan (PLUS) formed in 1986, operates and maintains the expressway. The concession is scheduled to end on 31 December 2038.

Exit 158 of expressway

Bukit Kayu Hitam to Sungai Dua, Butterworth

The expressway begins at the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint in Kedah, where across the border in Thailand the road continues as Phetkasem Road. The expressway proceeds southwards concurrently along the old Federal Route 1, which has not been upgraded and is still a limited-access road. The first grade-separated interchange, which is with route 194, provides access to the northwestern state of Perlis. The route then enters the heart of the town of Changlun, where it intersects with a few local roads with traffic lights. South from the town are several rural villages with residential roads intersecting with the expressway.

Just to the north of the town of Jitra, route 1 continues southwards while the expressway bends southeast to bypass the said town, marking the end of the concurrency and the start of the controlled-access highway proper. Just to the east of the town is the Jitra Toll Plaza, where a one-time payment is made. After the toll plaza the expressway continues southwest, entering the district of Kota Setar and interchanging with route 1 near Kepala Batas. Shortly south is the Hutan Kampung Toll Plaza, where ticket tolling begins. The expressway runs east of the city of Alor Setar, where it makes two interchanges with the Sultanah Bahiyah Highway (route 255), both leading to aforementioned city.

Past the city, route 1 returns to run parallel to the expressway, both running southeasterly to enter the district of Pendang, where the expressway interchanges with a local route leading east to the town of the same name. Proceeding southeast, the expressway enters the Kuala Muda district. It interchanges once in Gurun, bends southwest, then interchanges twice again near Sungai Petani, once to the northeast of the town and once to the southeast. The expressway crosses the bridge over the Muda River, which marks the border between the states of Kedah and Penang. The expressway reaches the town of Bertam, where route 1 deviates westwards from parallelism with the expressway. Further southwest is the Sungai Dua Toll Plaza, where the ticket system ends and the toll-free section begins. The expressway interchanges south of the plaza, just to the west of Sungai Dua. This interchange marks one terminus of the Butterworth Outer Ring Road (expressway 17), which goes west towards Bagan Ajam. After this interchange the expressway widens to six lanes and the urban speed limit of 90 km/h applies. The expressway then crosses the Perai River.

Butterworth and Bandar Baharu

From this point the expressway enters Seberang Perai Tengah, running southwesterly along the east side of Butterworth, where it makes several important interchanges, including Jalan Permatang Pauh (route 3111) leading to Permatang Pauh, the Butterworth–Kulim Expressway (expressway 15) towards Kulim and Gerik in Kedah, expressway 17 and route 1 in Perai (this is where the other end of E17 is located) as well as the Penang Bridge (expressway 36) towards the island and capital. Here the expressway bends southeast away from the coast, going towards and interchanging at the Perai Industrial Area and Juru. After Juru, the road narrows back to four lanes, followed by the Juru Toll Plaza, where the second ticket system begins. The expressway then enters Seberang Perai Selatan.

The expressway interchanges with route 149 at Bukit Tambun, connecting several industrial areas nearby. Close by at Batu Kawan, the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge (expressway 28) terminates on this expressway, connecting Bandar Cassia as well as the southwest district on the island. The last interchange in Penang is with route 1 at Jawi. The expressway then briefly re-enters the state of Kedah to interchange at Bandar Baharu, serving itself, Parit Buntar just across the border at Perak, as well as the rest of southernmost Kedah.

Alor Pongsu to Ipoh

Across the Kerian River is the Kerian district in Perak, where a new interchange with route 147 at Alor Pongsu is being constructed. The expressway then briefly winds eastwards, then southwards, to meet Bukit Merah. The expressway continues directly southwards into Larut, Matang dan Selama, interchanging again with route 1 as well as 3146 to the northwest of Taiping. Gently, the expressway winds southeast towards Changkat Jering, where it interchanges with route 60. From here, the expressway heads east through a cutting where the expressway and route 1 briefly run side-by-side. The route continues towards the district and town of Kuala Kangsar, interchanging at the terminus of route 76, which plies the rural areas of central northern Perak.

The Menora Tunnel.

At this point route 1 deviates northwards to go around a hill that is part of the Tenasserim Hills cluster. The expressway proceeds towards the hill, going across the Perak River below the Sultan Azlan Shah Bridge. After the river the expressway goes uphill, through the Menora Tunnel that is about 800 metres (870 yards) long, then downhill into the Kinta Valley. Here, the Ipoh local-express system, constructed in 2008, begins, where all traffic bound for Ipoh or its vicinity is segregated. Southbound commuters entering the local lanes pay the toll/tap out of the ticket system at the Ipoh North Toll Plaza, while northbound motorists merging in from the local lanes collect the ticket/tap into the system. Proceeding southeast through the heart of Ipoh, the expressway's local lanes interchange with several local roads as well as route 1, which begins to run parallel to the expressway again. The system ends to the south of Tambun, where commuters on the southbound local lanes collect their tickets or tap into the system at the Ipoh South Toll Plaza, while northbound motorists entering the local lanes pay their tolls.

Simpang Pulai to Bukit Lanjan

Leaving the city, the expressway bends southwest to close the gap between the two parallel routes, effectively interchanging with the route at Simpang Pulai. Bending back southeast the expressway interchanges again with route 1 at the town of Gopeng after crossing into the Kampar district. The expressway then cuts through another hill, passing by Gua Tempurung (a cave). The cutting ends in the Batang Padang district just before the next interchange at Tapah with route 59, which connects directly to Cameron Highlands. Heading southwards, the expressway interchanges with a local road at Bidor. Further south within the same district, the expressway interchanges with route 1 thrice – at Sungkai, Slim River and Behrang.

While going southeast, the expressway crosses the Selangor River into the state of Selangor. Despite this, the next interchange, the final one with route 1, mainly serves Tanjung Malim over in the previous state. From this point, route 1 leaves the vicinity of the expressway as the expressway goes southwards and the federal route goes southeast. The expressway interchanges with several rural roads at Lembah Beringin, Bukit Tagar, the Bukit Beruntung industrial area and at Sungai Buaya. Going southwards, the expressway leaves the Hulu Selangor district into the Gombak district, where it interchanges near the Rawang industrial area with route 3209. Shortly after, the Guthrie Corridor Expressway (expressway 35) begins as an interchange on this expressway. On the last segment, the expressway interchanges with a road next to the Sungai Buloh Hospital, crosses into the Petaling district, interchanges with the Sungai Buloh Highway (route 54) at Sungai Buloh, and finally terminates at its interchange with the New Klang Valley Expressway, which is also designated the route number E1.

Speed limits

Most of the expressway enforces a maximum speed limit of 110 km/h (68 mph). Signed exceptions include:

• 60 km/h (37 mph) when approaching any toll plaza
• 90 km/h (56 mph) on the route 1 concurrency (from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Jitra North) due to the presence of at-grade intersections
• 90 km/h (56 mph) on the Penang toll-free section (from Sungai Dua to Juru) due to heavy urban traffic
• 80 km/h (50 mph) between Kuala Kangsar and Jelapang where the expressway goes uphill, through a tunnel and then downhill
• 90 km/h (56 mph) on express lanes and 70 km/h (43 mph) on local lanes in the Ipoh local-express system; and
• 90 km/h (56 mph) on the stretch passing through Gua Tempurung, between Gopeng and Tapah.

There are no signed minimum speed limits.

Tolls

Most of the expressway maintains a ticket system (closed system) of tolling. The expressway however also has two toll plazas using the barrier toll system (open system) at the Bukit Kayu Hitam checkpoint and at Jitra. The ticket system from Juru southwards uses an integrated system of tolling that also applies to the New Klang Valley Expressway, North–South Expressway Central Link and North–South Expressway Southern Route (e.g. it is possible to travel from Juru on this expressway to Skudai, Johor on the North–South Expressway Southern Route without leaving the toll system). A separate ticket system is in place between Hutan Kampung and Sungai Dua, due to the toll-free section in Penang. The toll rate for the ticket system for passenger cars excluding taxis as of 2011 is 13.6 sen per kilometre.

Services

Emergency assistance and information services

Orange emergency telephones/callboxes are located every two kilometres along the entire expressway, as with every other expressway in the PLUS expressway network. Alternatively, commuters may dial the toll-free number 1 800 88 0000 on their mobile phones. Both will connect to the PLUS traffic monitoring centre in Subang where commuters may request for traffic information or roadside assistance. The highway patrol and roadside assistance teams are known as PLUSRonda. They provide free first responder services including small fixes for broken down vehicles, towing and also act as traffic police when there is an incident. They are also given auxiliary police powers.

PLUS also provides traffic information to commuters through variable-message signs located on some sections of the expressway, and on Twitter @plustrafik in Malay. Major radio stations in Peninsular Malaysia also broadcast traffic updates for the expressway.

Rest areas

The North–South Expressway Northern Route has 12 full rest areas (which includes one overhead bridge restaurant), 23 laybys and one vista point (scenic area) total along both directions of the expressway. Every rest area and layby includes, as a bare minimum, car parks and public toilets. Most laybys also include public telephones and a small rest hut. Depending on location, laybys can also include petrol stations, a surau, and rarely, food courts, independently operated restaurants as well as automated teller machines. Full rest and service areas have all of the above services and are much larger, so they can accommodate more services. Several rest areas also have small inns, and most have complimentary Wi-Fi services. Vista points only have car parks and is meant for commuters to enjoy the scenery at that location. Laybys are found every 25 to 50 kilometres, while full rest areas are found every 80 to 100 kilometres. The only vista point on this expressway is in Ipoh.

History

Main article: North–South Expressway (Malaysia) § History

The North–South Expressway Northern Route, being part of the larger North–South Expressway network, was constructed in phases simultaneously with the south section. The first segment on this expressway, from Bukit Kayu Hitam to Jitra, was opened on 1 April 1985, originally as part of Federal Route 1. The first controlled-access highway segment, from Ipoh to Changkat Jering, was opened by the then Sultan of Perak, Azlan Shah on 28 September 1987. The expressway was completed on 5 February 1994 with the opening of the last segment from Juru to Changkat Jering and the opening ceremony for both this expressway and the south section was held on 8 September 1994. The order of construction came under criticism by observers because sections with low traffic were constructed first, while sections with heavy traffic were constructed last.

Junction list

State	District	km	Exit	Name	Destinations	Notes
Malaysia-Thailand border Through to Phetkasem Road
Kedah	Kubang Pasu	0.0	–	–	Bukit Kayu Hitam Duty Free Complex	Three-way intersection Northern terminus of route 1
			Bukit Kayu Hitam Checkpoint Bukit Kayu Hitam Toll Plaza (barrier system)
			185	Bukit Kayu Hitam I/S	Bukit Kayu Hitam, Ladang Rakyat	Four-way intersection
			–	–	284 Jalan Padang Donan – Kampung Padang Donan, FELDA Bukit Tangga	Three-way intersection
			183	Changlun I/C	Changlun–Kuala Perlis Highway – Changlun, Kangar, Kuala Perlis Jalan Baru Changlun – Sintok	Serves Universiti Utara Malaysia
			–	–	K6 Jalan Titi Kerbau – Changlun	Three-way intersection
			–	–	K102 Jalan Kodiang – Kodiang Jalan Lama Changlun – Sintok	Four-way intersection Serves Kedah Matriculation College
			–	–	K266 Jalan Asun – Changkat Nibong, Kubang Pasu	Three-way intersection
			–	–	Darul Aman Highway – No access	Southern terminus of concurrency with route 1 Expressway entrance only
			182	Jitra North I/C	K109 Kedah State Route 109 – Jitra, Malau
			Jitra Toll Plaza (barrier system)
		30.5	Kepala Batas layby (northbound)
			181	Jitra South I/C	K116 Kedah State Route 116 – Jitra, Bandar Darul Aman, Wang Tepus, Bukit Kunyit
	Kota Setar		180	Kepala Batas I/C	Darul Aman Highway – Kepala Batas, (Sultan Abdul Halim Airport), Anak Bukit, Hutan Kampung
		38.8	Hutan Kampung layby (southbound)
			Hutan Kampung Toll Plaza (north end of ticket system)
			178	Alor Setar North I/C	Sultanah Bahiyah Highway – Alor Setar, Kangar Jalan Langgar – Langgar
			Kedah River bridge
			177	Alor Setar South I/C	Sultan Abdul Halim Highway – Alor Setar Sultanah Bahiyah Highway – Kuala Kedah, Kangar, Langkawi
	Pendang		175	Pendang I/C	K133 Jalan Pendang–Kota Sarang Semut – Pendang, Kota Sarang Semut
		65.0	Bukit Ko'bah layby (southbound)
	Kuala Muda	80.6– 81.1	Gurun rest and service area (both directions; separated)
			173	Gurun I/C	Federal Route 175 – Gurun, Yan, Jeniang, Sik
			170	Sungai Petani North I/C	Jalan Lencongan Barat – Sungai Petani, Kuala Ketil Jalan Lencongan Barat – Merbok
			168	Sungai Petani South I/C	Jalan Lencongan Barat – Sungai Petani, Baling
		113.5	Tikam Batu layby (southbound)
Kedah–Penang border			Muda River bridge
Penang	Seberang Perai Utara	116.0	Sungai Muda layby (northbound)
			166	Bertam I/C	P123 Jalan Kubang Menerung – Bertam, Kepala Batas
			Sungai Dua Toll Plaza (south end of ticket system)
			165	Sungai Dua I/C	Butterworth Outer Ring Road – Bagan Ajam P198 Jalan Sungai Dua – Sungai Dua
	Seberang Perai Tengah		Perai River bridge
			164	Permatang Pauh I/C	Jalan Permatang Pauh – Butterworth, Permatang Pauh
			163	Seberang Jaya I/C	( ) Butterworth–Kulim Expressway – Gerik East, Kulim, Butterworth
			162	Perai I/C	() Butterworth Outer Ring Road – Perai Jalan Bahru – Bukit Mertajam, Bukit Tengah
			161	Penang Bridge I/C	Penang Bridge – George Town Jalan Perusahaan Perai (southbound exit only) – Perai
			161B	–	Lorong Perusahaan 10 – Perai Industrial Area	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		141.6– 141.8	Sungai Juru layby (both directions; separated)
			160	Juru I/C	Jalan Kebun Nenas – Juru, Bukit Mertajam
			Juru Toll Plaza (north end of ticket system)
	Seberang Perai Selatan		158	Bukit Tambun I/C	Jalan Bukit Tambun – Bukit Tambun, Batu Kawan, Simpang Ampat
		154.0	157	Bandar Cassia-NSE I/C	Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge – Bandar Cassia, Bayan Lepas, (Penang International Airport)
		158.0– 158.2	Sungai Bakap layby (both directions; separated)
			156	Jawi I/C	Federal Route 1 – Nibong Tebal, Jawi, Sungai Bakap
Kedah	Bandar Baharu		153	Bandar Baharu I/C	Federal Route 136 – Bandar Baharu, Parit Buntar, Serdang
Kedah–Perak border			Kerian River bridge
Perak	Kerian	179.3– 180.0	Alor Pongsu layby (both directions; separated)
		181.0	151	Alor Pongsu	Federal Route 147 – Alor Pongsu, Bagan Serai, Selama	Under construction
			150	Bukit Merah I/C	A111 Jalan Bukit Merah – Bukit Merah, Selama
		194.6– 196.0	Gunung Semanggol rest and service area (both directions; separated)
	Larut, Matang dan Selama		148	Taiping North I/C	Federal Route 1 – Taiping 3146 Jalan Kamunting Lama – Kamunting
		212.6– 213.0	Taiping layby (both directions; separated)
			146	Changkat Jering I/C	Federal Route 60 – Changkat Jering, Taiping, Beruas
		225.4	Bukit Gantang rest and service area (both directions; separated)
	Kuala Kangsar	241.4	143	Kuala Kangsar I/C	Federal Route 1 – Kuala Kangsar Federal Route 76 – Gerik, Kota Bahru	Last point for southbound vehicles exceeding 4.5 metres in height to exit the expressway
		249.0	Sultan Azlan Shah Bridge over the Perak River
		249.3	Sungai Perak rest and service area (both directions; vehicles separated)
	Kinta		Menora Tunnel through the Tenasserim Hills
		263.1	Ipoh vista point (northbound)
			141	Ipoh North Toll Plaza I/C	Local lanes (southbound) – Jelapang, Sungai Siput, Ipoh	North end of local-express system; exit from ticket system
			141	Jelapang I/C	A1 Jalan Jelapang – Jelapang, Ipoh, Lumut, Pulau Pangkor	Northbound exit, southbound entrance only (local lanes)
			141B	Meru Raya I/C	Persiaran Meru – Bandar Meru Raya, Jelapang, Ipoh, Lumut, Pulau Pangkor	Local lanes only
		271.0	140	Ipoh North I/C	Jalan Tasek – Ipoh, Chemor, Bercham, Tasek, Sungai Siput
		273.0	Kinta River bridge
		276.0	139	Ipoh South I/C	Federal Route 1 – Ipoh, Tasek, Sungai Siput, Tanjung Rambutan	Local lanes only
		276.2	138	Tambun I/C	A13 Jalan Tambun – Ipoh, Tambun, Tanjung Rambutan
			138	Ipoh South Toll Plaza I/C	Local lanes (northbound) – Ipoh, Sungai Siput, Jelapang	South end of local-express system; exit from ticket system Last point for northbound vehicles exceeding 4.5 metres in height to exit the expressway
		286.9	137	Simpang Pulai I/C	Jalan Gopeng – Simpang Pulai, Batu Gajah, Cameron Highlands	Serves Universiti Teknologi Petronas
		290.2– 290.9	Simpang Pulai layby (both directions; separated)
		291.3	Gopeng Rural Transformation Centre (northbound)
	Kampar		135	Gopeng I/C	Federal Route 1 – Gopeng, Jeram, Batu Gajah
		301.1	Gua Tempurung layby (southbound)
			Gua Tempurung viaduct
	Batang Padang		132	Tapah I/C	Federal Route 59 – Tapah, Kampar, Cameron Highlands, Teluk Intan	Serves Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman's Kampar campus
		331.2– 332.3	Tapah rest and service area (both directions; separated)
			130	Bidor I/C	A132 Jalan Kampung Poh – Bidor, Teluk Intan
		347.4	Ladang Bikam layby (both directions; separated)
			128	Sungkai I/C	Federal Route 1 – Sungkai, Trolak, Teluk Intan
	Mualim		126	Slim River I/C	Federal Route 1 – Slim River, Trolak
			Slim River bridge
		382.8– 383.2	Behrang layby (both directions; separated)
		390.0	124	Behrang I/C	Federal Route 1 – Behrang, Sabak Bernam
Perak–Selangor border			Bernam River bridge
Selangor	Hulu Selangor	396.4	Tanjung Malim layby (northbound)
		398.8	Ulu Bernam rest and service area (southbound)
		399.8	121	Tanjung Malim I/C	Federal Route 1 – Tanjung Malim, Kuala Kubu Bharu	Serves Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
			120	Lembah Beringin I/C	B78 Jalan Kerling–Lembah Beringin – Lembah Beringin	Serves Kolej Yayasan UEM
			119	Bukit Tagar I/C	Bukit Tagar Highway – Bukit Tagar, Sungai Tengi, Bestari Jaya (Batang Berjuntai)
			Selangor River bridge
		428.0	118	Bukit Beruntung I/C	Jalan Bukit Beruntung – Bukit Beruntung, Serendah, Batang Kali
			Guntong River bridge
		436.0	117	Sungai Buaya I/C	1208 Jalan Sungai Buaya – Sungai Buaya, Serendah, Batang Kali	Opened 10 January 2014
		436.4	Rawang layby (southbound)
	Gombak	440.0	Rawang rest and service area (northbound)
			116	Rawang I/C	B27 Jalan Rawang-Bestari Jaya – Bestari Jaya (Batang Berjuntai) B27 () Jalan Kawasan Perindustrian Rawang – Rawang	Serves the University of Selangor
		444.0	115	Rawang South I/C	Guthrie Corridor Expressway – Shah Alam, Klang, Kuala Selangor, Selayang
		453.4	114	Sungai Buloh North I/C	Jalan Hospital – Hospital Sungai Buloh, Kepong, Selayang
		453.6	Sungai Buloh layby (southbound)
	Petaling	456.0	113	Sungai Buloh I/C	Jalan Sungai Buloh – Sungai Buloh, Kuala Selangor, Kepong
			Sungai Buloh overhead bridge restaurant (both directions; vehicles separated; opened 25 April 1998)
		460.0	108	Bukit Lanjan I/C	( ) New Klang Valley Expressway – Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Klang, Johor Bahru, Kota Damansara, Kuala Lumpur International Airport
1.000 km = 0.621 mi; 1.000 mi = 1.609 km I/C - interchange, I/S - intersection       Concurrency terminus       ETC only       Incomplete access       Unopened

External links

• PLUS Expressway Berhad
• PLUS
• Malaysian Highway Authority