On 5th February, Kuala Lumpur opened the Saloma Link; a new pedestrian bridge that connects Kampung Baru and Jalan Ampang in the city’s KLCC area. These two locations are separated by the Klang river and the six-lane Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh).
Located near KLCC, the Saloma Link bridges the highway and river with a stylish modern structure that spans 69 metres, though the walkway also extends on either side for a total of 370 metres. The bridge’s design was inspired by the sireh junjung (betel nut leaf arrangement) concept; an integral part of a Malay wedding. The long-awaited link was commissioned by the Kampung Bharu Development Corporation (PKB), in order to provide seamless pedestrian connectivity between the old and new parts of Kuala Lumpur.
Built at a cost of RM31mil, the link starts from Lorong Raja Muda Musa 3, about 100 metres from the underground Kampung Baru LRT station; and is connected with Lorong Saloma, next Menara Public Bank on the Jalan Ampang side. Construction of the new bridge took around 18 months to complete.
The new bridge is expected to cut journey times from KLCC to Kampung Baru down to about seven minutes in total (previously, the same journey would have taken more than half an hour, involving crossing several busy roads).
The Saloma Link forms part of a wider plan to make Malaysia’s capital city more accessible to pedestrians and walking tourists.
