THE West Coast Expressway (WCE) project is expected to be a major catalyst in bridging the development gap between rural and urban areas, especially in northern Selangor.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the extension of the WCE to Tanjong Karang can shorten travel times and subsequently unlock the development potential of northern Selangor.
“When the Tanjong Karang connection is completed, we will actually be able to reduce travel time by between 45 minutes and an hour.
“And automatically northern Selangor, starting from Kuala Selangor to Tanjong Karang, Sungai Besar and ultimately Sabak Bernam, can unlock its potential,” he said, reported Bernama.
Amirudin said this after the launch of the Second Selangor Plan (RS-2) in Shah Alam.
The Section 7 route is one of the crucial stretches of the WCE in Selangor, comprising an alignment from Assam Jawa, Kuala Selangor to Tanjong Karang, spanning 29.5km.
Amirudin said housing was one sector that could be unlocked, enabling residents to live in northern Selangor while commuting to urban hubs like Shah Alam and Klang.
“People can live in Tanjong Karang and commute to Shah Alam within half an hour, or to Klang,” he said.
He noted the experience from the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) showed that regional development moved slowly without strong public infrastructure support.
Public infrastructure development, he said, would be emphasised more in RS-2, while the state government would continue lobbying for more infrastructure investment through the Malaysia Plan.
“An important lesson learned from the First Selangor Plan is that if we do not have investment in public infrastructure or connectivity, development will be slow.
“That is what happened with Sabda (Sabak Bernam Development Area).
“The same happened with Idriss (Integrated Development Region in South Selangor).
“So it appears the government must step in, but through understanding and cooperation with companies,” he said.
Earlier, Amirudin launched RS-2, the state’s economic roadmap for the 2026-2030, which outlines six missions across 25 focus areas and targets RM600bil in economic value over the period.
