Malaysia Federal Route 55

Federal Route 55
Federal Route 55
Jalan Kuala Kubu Bharu–Teranum–Raub; Jalan Pahang (Kuala Kubu Bharu)
Route information
Length	62 km (39 mi)
Existed	1887–present
Major junctions
West end	Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor
	FT 1 Federal Route 1; FT 56 Jalan Bukit Fraser; FT 148 Jalan Bukit Fraser 2; FT 218 Federal Route 218
East end	Teranum, Raub District, Pahang
Location
Country	Malaysia
Primary; destinations	Kuala Kubu Bharu; Peretak; Fraser's Hill; Teranum; Teras; Raub
Highway system
	Highways in Malaysia; Expressways; Federal; State;

Federal Route 55 or Jalan Kuala Kubu Bharu–Teranum–Raub (also called Jalan Pahang in Kuala Kubu Bharu) is a 62-km federal road connecting the states of Selangor and Pahang in Malaysia. It is the first federal road ever constructed in Pahang.^[1] The road connects Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor to Teranum near Raub in Pahang where it meets Federal Route 218. It is the main access route to Fraser's Hill.^[2]

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 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.^[3]

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 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 known as the Kuala Kubu–Kuala Lipis Road. In 1915, a road was constructed from Teranum to Bentong, 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.^[1]

During the Malayan Emergency, Sir Henry Gurney, a British High Commissioner in Malaya, was assassinated by the Malayan Communist Party terrorists at Mile 56 ½, Kuala Kubu Road on 7 October 1951, on his way to Fraser's Hill.^[4] The communist terrorists ambushed his Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith and shot him to death. His remains were buried at the Cheras Road Christian Cemetery (now Cheras War Cemetery) at Jalan Cheras, Kuala Lumpur.^[4]^[5] A memorial signboard was later erected by Malaysian Public Works Department at the site of the incident (location: 3.673596,101.747346 ).^[6]

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 road through FELDA Lurah Bilut.^[7] 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.^[8]

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. During construction, a 7.7-km super two 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.^[9]

List of junctions and towns

km	Junctions	To	Remarks
FT 55 0	Kuala Kubu Bharu Kuala Kubu Bharu-Federal Route 1 Junction	North FT 1 Federal Route 1 Tanjung Malim Slim River Ipoh Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) Sabak Bernam via B44 Tanjung Malim Interchange for North–South Expressway Northern Route AH2 North–South Expressway Northern Route West Jalan Stesen Keretapi Kuala Kubu Bharu railway station South FT 1 Federal Route 1 Rasa Batang Kali Rawang Kuala Lumpur	Signalised crossroads
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Rest and Service Area
	Malaysian Road Transport Department (JPJ) district branch office
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Taman Teratai Taman Arif	North Taman Teratai Taman Arif	T-junction
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Kampung Kelapa	South Kampung Kelapa	T-junction
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Jalan Tun Salleh Ismail	North Jalan Tun Salleh Ismail	T-junction
	Sungai Kubu bridge
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Jalan Syed Masyor	North Jalan Syed Masyor Hospital Kuala Kubu Bharu Perpustakaan Syed Masahor (Hulu Selangor District Library)	T-junction
	Masjid Jamek Al-Rahimiah
	Stadium Mini Kuala Kubu Bharu
	Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor (MDHS) headquarters	Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor (MDHS) headquarters Monument of Kuala Kubu Tragedy
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Jalan Merdeka	North Jalan Merdeka Town Centre Kuala Kubu Bharu Post Office	T-junction
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Jalan Ampang Pechah	North Jalan Bukit Kerajaan Government offices Hulu Selangor District and Land Offices Kuala Kubu Bharu Magistrate Court South B54 Jalan Ampang Pechah Ampang Pechah (Site of the original Kuala Kubu) Rasa Kuala Lumpur Darul Quran Jakim	Signalised crossroads
	Hindu Temple
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Jalan Kubu	North Jalan Kubu Town Centre Hulu Selangor District Police Headquarters	T-junction
	Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR) Hulu Selangor District Headquarters
	Sungai Kubu bridge
	Kampung Asam Kumbang Jalan Tengah	North Jalan Tengah Kampung Asam Kumbang (Kuala Kubu Bharu New Village)	T-junction
	Taman Bukit Bunga	North Taman Bukit Bunga	T-junction
	Kuala Kubu Bharu Ranger Office
	Sungai Kelempung bridge
	Taman Selesa	North Taman Selesa
			Start/end of narrow roads
	Kampung Gerachi	North Jalan Baru Kampung Gerachi Kampung Gerachi	T-junction
	Sungai Selangor bridge
			Start/end of dual carriageway
	Sungai Selangor Dam	Sungai Selangor Dam North Splash visitor centre V	T-junction
			Start/end of dual carriageway
	Sungai Peretak bridge
	Kampung Peretak	East Jalan Baru Kampung Peretak Kampung Peretak	T-junction
			Start/end of narrow roads
	Sungai Chilling bridge		Old bridge Historical site
	Sungai Chilling waterfalls	Sungai Chilling waterfalls Sungai Chilling Fish Sanctuary V
	Sungai Gumut waterfalls	Sungai Gumut waterfalls Sungai Chilling Fish Sanctuary V
	Sungai Gumut bridge
	Sir Henry Gurney's murder site	Sir Henry Gurney's murder site	Historical site during Malayan Emergency (1948-1960) not marked
	The Gap Public Toilet		Dismantled
	The Gap Pedestrian Suspension Bridge		Abandoned
	The Gap Rest House		Abandoned
	The Gap Pedestrian Suspension Bridge		Abandoned
	The Gap "Welcome to Selangor" Arch
	The Gap Fraser's Hill Junction	North FT 56 Jalan Bukit Fraser Fraser's Hill	Fraser's Hill-bound only T-junction
Selangor Darul Ehsan Hulu Selangor district border
Pahang-Selangor border *
Pahang Darul Makmur Raub district border
	The Gap Layby
	The Gap Fraser's Hill Downhill Road Junction	North FT 148 Jalan Bukit Fraser 2	Exit only No entry T-junction
	Sungai Teranum bridge
	Sungai Teranum bridge
	Kampung Sungai Terong Manis
	Teranum Police Station	East Access Road	T-junction
	Teranum Old Bentong-Raub Road junction	North FT 218 Old Bentong-Raub Road Teras Raub via FT 8 Kuala Lipis via FT 8 Kota Bharu via FT 8 Bentong via FT 8 East FT 218 Old Bentong-Raub Road Kampung Sungai Chetang Sang Lee Kampung Sungai Penjuring Bentong via FT 8 Bentong East Interchange via FT 8 for East Coast Expressway FT 2 AH141 Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway/East Coast Expressway	T-junction

* Note: The Pahang-Selangor border runs along the Titiwangsa drainage divide 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

Selangor River Dam on Route 55.
Cyclist on the Selangor Dam bridge near Peretak.
Old Sungai Chiling bridge near Peretak, now replaced with a newer bridge next to it.
Approaching The Gap on Route 55.
Route 55 at The Gap, with the road to Fraser's Hill to the left.
Entering Selangor at The Gap.
Downhill from The Gap towards Teranum.
Eastern starting point of Route 55 at intersection with Route 218 at Teranum.
Eastern starting point of Roue 55 at Teranum.
Route 55 circa 1910.