Federal Route 55 or Jalan Kuala Kubu Bharu–Teranum–Raub (also called Jalan Pahang in
Kuala Kubu Bharu
Kuala Kubu Bharu (also spelt Kuala Kubu Baru, Kuala Kubu Bahru or Kuala Kubu Baharu; abbreviated to KKB), is the district capital of Hulu Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located 60 km north of Kuala Lumpur.
In 1883, the Sung ...
) is a 62-km
federal road connecting the states of
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
and
Pahang
Pahang (;Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', Pahang Hilir Malay: ''Pahaeng'', Ulu Tembeling Malay: ''Pahaq)'' officially Pahang Darul Makmur with the Arabic honorific ''Darul Makmur'' (Jawi: , "The Abode of Tranquility") is a ...
in
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
. It is the first federal road ever constructed in Pahang.
The road connects
Kuala Kubu Bharu
Kuala Kubu Bharu (also spelt Kuala Kubu Baru, Kuala Kubu Bahru or Kuala Kubu Baharu; abbreviated to KKB), is the district capital of Hulu Selangor District, Selangor, Malaysia. It is located 60 km north of Kuala Lumpur.
In 1883, the Sung ...
, Selangor to
Teranum near
Raub in Pahang where it meets
Federal Route 218. It is the main access route to
Fraser's Hill
Fraser's Hill is a hill resort located on the Titiwangsa Mountains, Titiwangsa Ridge in Raub District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is about north of Kuala Lumpur. In 1890, Louis James Fraser established the area as a tin mining community known as Pa ...
.
Route background
The Kilometre Zero of the Federal Route 55 is located at Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor, at its intersection with the
Federal Route 1, the main trunk road of the central of Peninsular Malaysia. After passing Kuala Kubu Bharu town centre, it runs along the eastern circumference of the
Selangor Dam. Shortly after passing the Selangor Dam, the road becomes winding as it ascends the
Titiwangsa Range
The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.
The northern section o ...
until its intersection with
the uphill road to Fraser's Hill at The Gap on the Selangor–Pahang state border.
Then, the road descends downhill, running in parallel with the Teranum River until Teranum where it intersects with
Malaysia Federal Route 218.
As the road winds through mountainous terrain, it is often prone to landslides which result in partial or total closures of the section between Kuala Kubu Bharu and Teranum.
History
First East-West Road
Built in the 1887, Federal Route 55 is the earliest federal road to be constructed in Pahang and the first road over the
Titiwangsa Range
The Titiwangsa Mountains ( Malay: ''Banjaran Titiwangsa,'' بنجرن تيتيوڠسا, ), also known as ''"Banjaran Besar"'' (Big Range) by locals, is the chain of mountains that forms the backbone of the Malay Peninsula.
The northern section o ...
or Main Range through the pass at The Gap, linking the West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia with the East Coast. It was constructed as an 80-mile
bridle track from Kuala Kubu Bharu to
Kuala Lipis
Kuala Lipis ( ms, كوالا ليڤيس, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset) is a mukim and capital of Lipis District, Pahang, Malaysia with a population of 20,000.
History
Kuala Lipis was a gold-mining centre before the British arrived in 1 ...
known as the Kuala Kubu–Kuala Lipis Road. In 1915, a road was constructed from Teranum to
Bentong
Bentong (Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ﺑﻨﺘﻮڠ), the seat of Bentong District, is a town located in western Pahang, Malaysia, at the border with the state of Selangor in the west and the state of Negeri Sembilan in the south.
Government
Benton ...
, forming the southern pioneer route for the
Federal Route 8.
In 1919, work started on the access road to the hill station from The Gap and by 1922, the hill station named Fraser's Hill was opened to visitors. The road is now designated as
Federal Route 56.
The entire roadway was upgraded and paved in 1928 with the specific cost of
RM2,004 per mile (or RM1,237 per kilometre), which was considered as the most expensive road project at that time.
During the
Malayan Emergency
The Malayan Emergency, also known as the Anti–British National Liberation War was a guerrilla war fought in British Malaya between communist pro-independence fighters of the Malayan National Liberation Army (MNLA) and the military forces o ...
, Sir
Henry Gurney
Sir Henry Lovell Goldsworthy Gurney (27 June 1898 – 6 October 1951) was a British colonial administrator who served in various posts throughout the British Empire. Gurney was killed by communist insurgents during the Malayan Emergency, whi ...
, a
British High Commissioner in Malaya
In 1896, the post of High Commissioner for the Federated Malay States was created; the High Commissioner represented the British Government in the Federated Malay States, a federation of four British protected states in Malaya. The High Commissi ...
, was assassinated by the
Malayan Communist Party
The Malayan Communist Party (MCP), officially the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), was a Marxist–Leninist and anti-imperialist communist party which was active in British Malaya and later, the modern states of Malaysia and Singapore from 1 ...
terrorists at Mile 56 ½, Kuala Kubu Road on 7 October 1951, on his way to Fraser's Hill.
The communist terrorists ambushed his
Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
Silver Wraith and shot him to death. His remains were buried at the Cheras Road Christian Cemetery (now
Cheras War Cemetery
The Cheras War Cemetery ( ms, Tanah Perkuburan Perang Cheras) is the final resting place for Allied personnel who were killed during World War II, particularly the Malayan Campaign and the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Servicemen who died afte ...
) at Jalan Cheras,
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
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, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
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, coordinates =
, su ...
.
Slain British Officer Bured
/ref> A memorial signboard was later erected by Malaysian Public Works Department
The Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR; ms, Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia) is the federal government department in Malaysia under Ministry of Works Malaysia (MOW) which is responsible for construction and maintenance of public infrastructure ...
at the site of the incident (location: 3.673596,101.747346 ).
The portion of the Kuala Kubu–Kuala Lipis Road from Teranum to Raub, together with the road from Teranum to Bentong, became part of Federal Route 8 before they were bypassed by a new, straighter super two
A super two, super two-lane highway or wide two-lane is a two-lane surface road built to highway standards with wide lanes and other safety features normally present on a freeway with more lanes, typically including partial control of access, o ...
road through FELDA Lurah Bilut
Lurah Bilut () is a town in Bentong District, Pahang, Malaysia. It is the oldest estate town in the country and also a constituency of the Pahang State Legislative Assembly. It is located along Federal Route 8 en route to Raub. This estate town ...
. There after, the bypassed old road between Bentong and Raub including the section between Teranum and Raub was re-gazetted to become the new Federal Route 218.
At the end of the 1990s, a new water dam known as the Sungai Selangor Dam was constructed to cater to the increasing water demand in the Klang Valley
Klang Valley ( ms, Lembah Klang; zh, 巴生谷; ) is an urban conglomeration in Malaysia that is centered in the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, and includes its adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor. It is con ...
. During construction, a 7.7-km super two
A super two, super two-lane highway or wide two-lane is a two-lane surface road built to highway standards with wide lanes and other safety features normally present on a freeway with more lanes, typically including partial control of access, o ...
road was built to replace the existing roadway at the Sungai Selangor Dam construction site. Construction started in 2001 and was completed in 2003. This road has two bridges, the Sungai Selangor bridge and the Sungai Peretak bridge.
List of junctions and towns
''* Note: The Pahang-Selangor border runs along the Titiwangsa drainage divide
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...
to the east of the archway then proceeds along the middle of the road before proceeding up the hill slope from the point between sentry hut and the road to Teranum at The Gap-Fraser's Hill Road junction.''
Gallery
File:Empangan SPLASH - panoramio.jpg, Selangor River Dam on Route 55.
File:Sungai Selangor Dam 4.jpg, Cyclist on the Selangor Dam bridge near Peretak.
File:Peretak, Selangor, Malaysia - panoramio (1).jpg, Old Sungai Chiling bridge near Peretak, now replaced with a newer bridge next to it.
File:The Gap 4.jpg, Approaching The Gap on Route 55.
File:The Gap 1.jpg, Route 55 at The Gap, with the road to Fraser's Hill to the left.
File:The Gap 3.jpg, Entering Selangor at The Gap.
File:The Gap 8.jpg, Downhill from The Gap towards Teranum.
File:Teranum 3.jpg, Eastern starting point of Route 55 at intersection with Route 218 at Teranum.
File:Teranum 1.jpg, Eastern starting point of Roue 55 at Teranum.
File:KITLV - 79962 - Kleingrothe, C.J. - Medan - Highway at Kuala Kubu - circa 1910.tif, Route 55 circa 1910.
References
{{Malaysian Federal Roads
Malaysian Federal Roads