Cash flow issues have stalled the final stretch of East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE), leaving some 35,000 residents in Bukit Antarabangsa and Ukay Perdana, Selangor, in limbo.
Bukit Antarabangsa assemblyman Mohd Kamri Kamaruddin, who visited the site on Monday, expressed frustration over the project’s stagnation.
“Delays will ultimately impact road users, local communities and economies.
“We want this project to be actively mobilised and completed as soon as possible,” he said.
It is learned that work has been halted at Section 2, connecting Ampang to Ukay Perdana, for about a week.
Various construction vehicles were left idle on nearby hillsides while gravel-filled roads were filled with construction infrastructure for the expressway.
Main contractor WZR Property attributed the halt to the project’s financial hurdles.
Its spokesperson Datuk Ahmad Fazli Ahamad Nordin said work could resume immediately once financing issues have been resolved with the bank.
“We (WZR Property) have no issues. The sub-contractors, too, are just waiting for the green light from us,” he said.
More than a decade since construction began, Section 2 has only recorded 72.78% completion as of April 25. Overall progress for the EKVE stands at 92%, according to the progress report presented during the visit.
The targeted completion date has also been pushed to December from March this year.
Mohd Kamri said residents have endured years of dust, noise disturbances and temporary road closures that disrupted their daily routines.
“The people here have waited for too long.
“They are forced to live with the various risks posed by an unfinished site,” he added.
Work on the EKVE began in 2015 and was initially scheduled to be completed in 2019.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the completion date was subsequently revised.
Section 1 was completed and opened to the public last August.
The dual carriageway features four grade-separated interchanges at Sungai Long, Bandar Mahkota Cheras, Hulu Langat and Ampang.
Once fully operational, the expressway will form part of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (KLORR), designed to divert traffic out of the city centre.
