The area abutting Old Klang Road is strategically located between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, with easy access to numerous amenities (Photo by Mohd Shahrin Yahya/The Edge)

One of the oldest thoroughfares in Kuala Lumpur, Old Klang Road or Jalan Klang Lama has seen considerable change over the past decade as new developments sprout up along the busy stretch of approximately 11km.

Lined by a mix of old shops and new commercial buildings as well as newer high-rise residences, the major artery is said to have been built over a century ago by the British colonial government and was the only trunk road linking Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang before the Federal Highway was completed in 1965.

The area abutting Old Klang Road is strategically located between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, with easy access to numerous amenities in places such as Mid Valley City, Bandar Sunway, Puchong and Sri Petaling.

Old Klang Road was named as such as it provided access to Klang from Kuala Lumpur, says VPC Alliance  managing director James Wong. “Since the opening of Mid Valley City in 1999, developers had started to build along Old Klang Road as they could foresee a high demand for developments there in the future.”

High-rise integrated developments are mushrooming along OKR

Realtors tracking property price trends on Old Klang Road (OKR) are concerned over a surging supply of new high-rise residential units, which might put pressure on rental growth and demand as tenants might choose to purchase the more affordable smaller units available in the market rather than continue renting.

OKR is one of the oldest and busiest thoroughfares in KL. (Photos by Low Yen Yeing/EdgeProp.my)

Jalan Klang Lama or Old Klang Road (OKR), to those familiar with Kuala Lumpur, refers to the areas on both sides of the road that are situated not in Klang, but in KL. In the 1960s, apparently both sides of the road were flanked with factories, warehouses and oil palm estates.

The 11km OKR is one of the oldest and busiest thoroughfares in KL.  It is also home to some of the oldest and most established housing areas in KL like Taman OUG and Taman Desa — with sought-after homes still commanding great value for their proximity to the city centre.

Those familiar with KL would recall how traffic jams and flash floods were synonymous with OKR. Over the years, the road has been widened and Sungai Kerayong, which flows through the area, has deepened.

OKR passes two towns, namely Sungei Way and Petaling Jaya. The west end connects to PJS 8, PJ while the east end links to Seputeh, KL, which is also connected to one of the most popular shopping complexes — Mid Valley Megamall.

Old Klang Road, or Jalan Klang Lama, is one of the oldest roads in Kuala Lumpur. The 11km road was originally built in 1908, and before the Federal Highway was built in 1965, Old Klang Road was the only link between Kuala Lumpur and Port Klang.

Today, the Old Klang Road area is a much sought-after residential and commercial location linked by major highways.

It remains an important transport artery for the Klang Valley, after being widened and upgraded to accommodate a greater volume of vehicles.

It has an impressive number of schools and condominiums as well as shopping malls, such as the Mid Valley Megamall, the JKL Furnishing Centre and a shopping complex of its own called Plaza Prima.

Old Klang Road (OKR) has recorded 510 residential property transactions in 2019 at an average transacted price of RM532,738 or RM434 psf. Meanwhile, in 2020, 123 residential properties changed hands at an average price of RM479,598 or RM486 psf, according to EdgeProp Research.

KUCHAI Lama, a matured suburb situated off the Old Klang Road in Kuala Lumpur, used to comprise a collection of low-cost flats, medium-cost apartments and houses.

The older houses in the area are mainly single-storey terraced units which turned middle-cost just a few years ago but are worth more now, thanks to the property boom.

Due to its strategic location and infrastructure, there has been an increase in residential properties in Kuchai Lama over the last few years, especially in Taman Lian Hoe, Taman Continental, Happy Garden and Taman Kuchai Jaya.

These areas now have a wide range of properties, including gated-and-guarded semi-detached houses, luxury apartments and condominiums, uplifting the whole image of Kuchai Lama.

The prices of properties in Kuchai Lama have risen fairly sharply, resulting in investors casting their eyes there.

Stretching about 11km between Mid Valley City in Kuala Lumpur and the Kontena Nasional Global Logistics building in Petaling Jaya, Old Klang Road lies midway between the two major urban centres. Built in 1959, the road has become a thoroughfare over the years with the areas along it undergoing significant change.

Pockets of development sprang up along the road because of the fragmentation of the land abutting it, but what has really transformed its landscape in recent years is a surge in high-rise developments.

Ongoing projects include Millerz Square by Exsim Group (completion: 2019), 9 Seputeh by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (2024), The Nest Residences by Nagano Development Sdn Bhd (2019) and CitiZen by Binastra Land Sdn Bhd (2019). Newly completed projects include Southbank Residence by UOA Group (2017), Avantas Residences by CPI Land Sdn Bhd (2016) and Pearl Suria by Aikbee Timbers Sdn Bhd (2016).

Nevertheless, Old Klang Road is still home to a sizeable number of old buildings, presenting the prospect of redevelopment.

The construction of Citizen 2 by Binastra Land along Old Klang Road. (Photo by Low Yen Yeing/EdgeProp.my)

The grande dame of Malaysian roads — Old Klang Road or Jalan Klang Lama — has maintained its vitality, not just as an arterial road in Kuala Lumpur city but also as a property hotspot.

The estimated 11km thoroughfare is one of the oldest in the Klang Valley, linking Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang. In fact, it has existed even before the Federal Highway.

As a long-standing mature suburb, the Old Klang Road area has in recent years resurfaced as a magnet for new high-rise residential property projects. The area is currently experiencing a development spurt, albeit vertically, to counter the narrowing availability of land in the vicinity.

Old Klang Road or Jalan Kelang Lama is one of the oldest thoroughfares in Kuala Lumpur. Completed by the government of the British Federated Malay States a century ago, the 11.2km road used to be the only trunk road linking Kuala Lumpur to Port Klang.

Until a few years ago, traffic jams and flash floods were synonymous with Old Klang Road. Each time the skies opened up, the 4½ mile would be knee-deep in water, says iProp Realty Sdn Bhd’s managing director Victor Lim, who works and lives there. He remembers too the terrible traffic congestion in years past.

These problems, however, have been solved by widening the road, completing several new highways and deepening Sungai Kerayong, which flows through the area.

Old Klang Road straddles Kuala Lumpur in the east and Selangor in the west. Lining both sides is a mix of old shops and new commercial buildings being used as, among other things, used car showrooms, temples, car workshops and warehouses.