KUALA LUMPUR(Malaysia): Motorists expecting a smooth Sunday drive were caught in a massive jam after pieces of concrete fibre fell from Pillar 28 of the Middle Ring Road II (MRR2) and part of the road was closed.

Traffic was reduced to a crawl at about 7.30am when several chunks of the concrete fell from the pillar near Desa Complex onto the road heading towards Batu Caves.

The jam stretched over 3km to the Bandar Sri Damansara toll plaza after the three-lane road was reduced to one.

It started to ease at about 5pm after all lanes were re-opened.

Traffic on the other side was also reduced to a crawl as motorists slowed down to see what was happening.

Workers used a crane to peel away the remaining dangling pieces of concrete and conduct inspection works.

They wrapped the damaged part of the pillar to prevent more pieces of carbon fibre concrete from falling.

The incident sparked fears among motorists as Pillar 28 was one of the 31 pillars found with cracks in 2004.

RapidKL traffic controller Zainuddin Md Taib, 37, was among those who saw the debris falling down after he reported for duty at the bus station next to the pillar.

?When I first saw it, there was only a little bit coming out. At 7.25am, several chunks of concrete fell on two passing vehicles,? he said, adding he called the police who arrived minutes later to direct traffic.

A frustrated motorist, identified as Aishah, 27, who was on her way to Genting Highlands from Tanjung Karang, said she was stuck in the jam for two hours at about noon.

She said the authorities should have made announcements immediately to alert motorists of the incident.

Many motorists came out of their vehicles to find out what had caused the jam.

Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw, who was at the scene at 11am, said he was concerned about the safety of motorists and wanted repair works done fast.

He said there must be answers from the Works Ministry because there had been guarantees of safety after repairs were made and the highway re-opened in August 2006.

City deputy traffic chief Deputy Supt Ng Fook Long said police would continue manning the traffic flow today.

"Although several lanes had been re-opened, we are still finding ways to further ease the traffic," he said.