KUALA LUMPUR – Six major highways in the Klang Valley will see a toll fare reduction as part of the government’s effort to reduce the living cost burden on the rakyat, caretaker prime minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced today.
Four highways under the purview of Kumpulan Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) will see a fare reduction beginning October 20, with a decision on the matter supposedly made by the cabinet on May 18.
The reduction will affect the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway, Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE), Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway, and Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway.
Separately, two other expressways under IJM Corporation Bhd – Kajang-Seremban Highway (Lekas) and Besraya Highway – will see a fare reduction effective January 1, 2023, with the cabinet agreeing to the matter during its meeting on June 1.
The announcement comes ahead of the 15th general election, which is expected to be held in early November.
He said this during the launch of the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway (DASH), here today.
The RM4.2 billion, 20.1km highway, which connects Puncak Perdana to Penchala, will begin operations at midnight and is expected to see 50,000 daily road users, who will enjoy free toll rates until November 30.
DASH offers an alternative route for road users travelling from west Shah Alam to east Kuala Lumpur and is expected to reduce congestion in several major roads by up to 40% during peak hours and cut travelling time from Puncak Perdana to Penchala by 60 minutes.
The new expressway, which began construction in August 2016, will connect to the GCE, Damansara-Puchong Expressway, Penchala Link, and SPRINT Expressway, and offer alternative routes to several areas.
The concession for DASH will last for 55 years from December 25, 2014 to December 24, 2069.
"I feel very proud when I see high-impact projects like DASH become a reality. This is because they are set to benefit Keluarga Malaysia,” he said in his officiating speech today.
“DASH is one of 53 high-impact projects in the government’s economic transformation programme, which offers 12,000 job opportunities.”
Separately, Ismail Sabri said the government had also on March 4 agreed to the addition of a new lane along the Karak Expressway from the Gombak toll plaza to the Bentong toll plaza, while a new tunnelled road will be constructed in Genting Sempah to reduce congestion.
The prime minister said flood mitigation works will be conducted on the East Coast Expressway Phase 1 due to constant flooding along the road.
“All these improvement works took the restructuring of toll rates into account, with a supplementary concession agreement being finalised.
“With this latest restructuring, the government has saved approximately RM8.8 billion in compensation that should have been paid to the concession companies involved. Additionally, highway users can enjoy cheaper toll rates,” he said. – The Vibes, October 13, 2022
