THE Smart Tunnel should reopen in a few days, if the weather is good.According to a spokesman from Sya-rikat Mengurus Air Banjir dan Terowong, the company managing the tunnel, workers started the necessary cleaning and inspection process inside the tunnel on Monday.

"The standard procedure is that when the tunnel is switched to Mode III, the tunnel requires up to four days from the day the water recedes to reopen.

"We require two days for cleaning and two more days to recheck and repair whatever necessary. We are carrying out inspections concurrently to save time,'' he said.

Mode III is the operational mode of the tunnel when there are major storms and whereby the full section of the traffic compartment is used to divert rainwater.

He emphasised that the reopening of the Smart Tunnel was subject to the weather conditions.

"The tunnel has been closed since Saturday but before we could complete the dewatering exercise, there was another storm on Sunday," the spokes-man said.

He said the amount of rainwater could have caused one of the worst floods and that the tunnel had saved Kuala Lumpur from the the embarrassment of having the city inundated in floodwaters while hosting the F1 Grand Prix.

He added that the company em-pathised with the motorists enduring traffic congestion during the closure and advised them to plan their journey with the help of traffic information.

"The main objective of the Smart Tunnel is to divert rainwater and prevent floods. Easing the area's long-standing traffic problem is a secondary objective.

"We hope the motorists will bear with us for a few more days," he said, adding that traffic police and City Hall personnel were helping to manage the traffic situation during the closure.