No cracks on flyover, overpass safe for public use – Fadillah
KUCHING: There are no structural cracks on one of the overpasses of the Kenyalang Interchange Flyover at the BDC roundabout here as claimed in a viral social media post, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Fadillah in a statement yesterday assured road users here that the said flyover remains safe, adding that an investigation by the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak and consultant firm Jurutera Jasa showed no cracks or structural cracks.
"The observation showed a diagonal-line-overlapping of concrete during different batching. This is normal in concreting due to formwork.
"What is important is that it is not a crack. The overpass which was completed in 2010 is safe as per commented by the consultant," he said.
A video clip of the so-called crack on the flyover had been circulating on WhatsApp and Facebook since Saturday, with some messages even advising road users to avoid using the flyover and instead go below it.
Meanwhile, JKR Sarawak in a statement issued by its corporate communications branch said following joint inspections on Saturday and yesterday morning, the department has concluded that the flyover is safe for public use.
It proposed for remedial works to improve the soffit aesthetics of the imperfection at the flyover by using fast-setting grout and regular monitoring at the site.
"The visible 'crack' is not a crack but caused by concrete finish imperfections. The two distinct colour shades of concrete finishing is a natural occurrence as the pouring works were likely to have been carried out separately.
"It is noted that two different soffit levels suggest minor imperfections in the formwork during concrete casting. There was no water stain found along the patch line to indicate any water permeability. No other defects were seen adjacent to the patching," it said.
JKR Sarawak added that visual inspection was also made from the top view of the flyover, and there were no signs of pavement cracks found at the overpass deck.
Checks were also made at the steel railing and no signs of defects were found, it pointed out.
According to the statement, JKR Sarawak together with the road maintenance concessionaire immediately deployed their team to the site for a preliminary inspection at 6.55pm Saturday after being notified of the viral post.
This was followed up yesterday by a joint inspection by JKR Sarawak together with the concessionaire and its consultant to evaluate and assess the soffit cracking in detail.