The KL-Karak Highway widening project is expected to be completed in 2029, or one year ahead of schedule, works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi has said, reported New Straits Times.
Originally scheduled for completion in 2030 under its four-year construction contract, AFA Prime assured that the highway widening works could be completed by 2029, the works minister said.
The project is fully funded by AFA Prime, and involves the widening of a 45.3 km stretch of the KL-Karak highway between Gombak and Bentong, along with the construction of a 999 metre-long third tunnel at Genting Sempah, according to the report.
Traffic on the KL-Karak Highway has increased significantly, from around 41,000 vehicles daily in 1997 to more than 135,000 vehicles daily in the present day, the Malaysian Highay Authority (LLM) stated.
“That is very encouraging because it means the project will be completed ahead of time. This is not simply about building a bigger tunnel. It is about closing the gap between east and west, between potential and opportunity, and between what exists and what the people on the East Coast deserve,” Nanta said.
The highway would be widened from three to four lanes between Gombak and Genting Sempah, while the stretch between Genting Sempah and Bentong would be widened from two to three lanes.
The new tunnel will be constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), which is more suited to the physical conditions of the site, Nanta said.
In terms of toll fare, Nanta said there would be no immediate increase following the completion of the project. “It’s not immediate. There will be an increase later, but we do not know when yet. The terms are provided for in the contract, but there will be no increase in the next two or three years,” the works minister said.
What really matter to the people is the actual completion, not what you expect. How many announcement made on the navy ship deliveries so far?
HUGE Money waste. 90% of the time the karak highway is underutilise. Why should we spend billions for that 10%?
BTW, this is the same argument the geniuses in the government use on LRT3.
So does PLUS, Penang bridges, Penang LRT..huge money pit..later when the East Coast people keep flooding KV, then people like u playing hateful narratives
the difference is penang LRT mostly funded by themselves building new reclamation islands then selling the new land . while the karak highway, ECRL are funded by federal govt taxpayer money.
It is just a waste of project if the Gombak & Bentong toll are not being upgraded the capacity into double. During the festive season the congestion was from the Gombak toll to the Bentong toll, right after the Gombak toll the traffic was smooth.