Motorists on the New Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE) near Shah Alam were caught in a major traffic disruption on Friday night after a large overhead structure collapsed across the highway.
The incident occurred at KM8.4 shortly before midnight, blocking all northbound lanes and causing traffic to come to a standstill.
The right lane of the southbound carriageway was also reportedly affected.
Images and videos circulating online showed what appeared to be a highway gantry lying across the northbound lanes.
Several heavy vehicles were seen near the scene, while dozens of chickens were scattered across the road.
A lorry carrying the chickens appeared to have skidded and crashed into the road divider. However, it has not been established whether the lorry was responsible for the collapse.
Safe Community Alliance Association chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye later confirmed that no deaths were reported in the incident.
He urged authorities to carry out comprehensive and regular safety audits on structures installed along or across major highways, saying the collapse should not be dismissed as merely a traffic disruption.
Lee said the incident should instead serve as a serious warning to parties responsible for the installation, inspection and maintenance of highway structures.
He noted that billboards, overhead gantries, signboards and steel frames could be exposed to risks including strong winds, heavy rain, corrosion, material fatigue, damaged joints and ageing.
He said safety inspections should assess the physical condition of structures, the stability of their foundations, joints and bolts, corrosion levels and their ability to withstand weather and environmental pressures.
Any structure found to be unsafe, seriously damaged or no longer meeting safety requirements should be repaired, reinforced or removed immediately, he said.
“We cannot wait until a structure collapses and potentially crushes a vehicle before taking action,” he said.
Lee also called on highway authorities and operators to maintain a comprehensive inventory of all structures and billboards installed along highways.
The records should include information such as the owner, installation date, party responsible for maintenance and the date of the latest safety inspection.
He stressed that responsibility for road safety should not fall solely on highway operators, with owners, advertisers, contractors and approving authorities also required to ensure their structures do not endanger motorists.
Lee urged the Malaysian Highway Authority, local councils, highway concessionaires and structure owners to conduct immediate safety inspections following the incident.
“Road safety must never be compromised. We should be grateful whenever an incident ends without any loss of life. However, public safety cannot depend on luck,” he said.
