Storm Water Management and Road Tunnel (SMART), Malaysia

AlanDick gets tunnel vision in Malaysia

AlanDick, has developed and installed a unique cellular, emergency service and maintenance radio solution for a motorway tunnel system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that duals as a massive storm drain during flash floods. Once again proving the company’s expertise in solving complex radio problems.

The company developed two separate radio communications systems for the Storm Water Management and Road Tunnel (SMART), which was constructed by the Government of Malaysia. It installed an emergency services and maintenance communications system in the city road tunnel in Kuala Lumpur, along with a multi-operator 2G and 3G cellular communications system for traffic using the motorway.

The technical challenges associated with the two contracts cement AlanDick’s reputation as an innovator in radio communications. The SMART tunnel is a unique undertaking, incorporating both a 9.7km storm water tunnel and a 3km motorway thanks to an ingenious three-level design.
Motorway traffic travels along the top two levels of the tunnel during normal operation while the bottom level is used for water bypass. Amazingly, in storm conditions, the double-deck carriageway is cleared of vehicles and used to divert floodwater from a catchment area upstream of the nearby Klang River, thus alleviating the problem of flash flooding in Kuala Lumpur. The two communications systems therefore had to be both waterproofed and optimised for tunnel conditions.

The first contract, for the design and deployment of a 2G and 3G ready mobile communications system within the tunnel provides combined antenna systems for all three Malaysian mobile operators.

The communications system uses antennas mounted inside the tunnel and fed by fibre optic cables sealed into the tunnel wall. The antennas were specially designed for the tunnel, and had to work under heavy water pressure. This meant that they had to be in sealed units; designed to IP68 standards (dust-tight with protection against complete, continuous submersion in water). Antennas are placed at multiple points and hand-off signals between traffic as it passes along the tunnel.
 

This project proves that AlanDick is able to provide an innovative solution - for a unique application - designed and delivered ahead of schedule.