IPOH: The accident-prone south - bound section of the Jelapang toll plaza is finally closed.

Motorists will now pay toll at a facility 800m away.

From 3.30pm yesterday, all south - bound motorists were diverted towards the new facility - known as North Ipoh Toll Plaza (south-bound)- to pay their toll before continuing their journey.

The north - bound section of the plaza remains.Works Minister Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamed opened the new plaza yesterday.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, he said the closure of the south - bound Jelapang toll plaza means motorists would now be able to have a smooth and safe journey.

The Jelapang toll plaza was prone to accidents caused by runaway vehicles coming down from the hilly areas in the north.

"There have been too many accidents? It is the end  of the road for the Jelapang Toll plaza," Mohd Zin said.

He said the government would continue to monitor the new facility although it was much more safe than the old one, adding that accidents caused by heavy vehicles that encounter brake failure while traveling downhill were no longer expected to happen after this.

The south-bound part of the Jelapang toll plaza has seen 142 accidents in the last 10 years with the latest on Dec 11 last year, when eight people died and 14 were injured as the bus they were in rammed into the back of a tanker.