IPOH: Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali has called on the Works Ministry to consider relocating only the toll booths for south-bound motorists at the Jelapang toll plaza to another site and maintain the ones for the north-bound traffic at its present site.
He said relocating one section of the toll plaza would not cost as much as moving the entire toll plaza.
He said the toll booths for south-bound traffic could be moved to a site between Kuala Kangsar and the Sungai Perak rest area.
“We do not want the Jelapang toll plaza along the North-South Expressway to be an issue every time there is an accident.
“However, if the entire Jelapang toll plaza is moved to a stretch between the Sungai Perak rest area and Kuala Kangsar, it will not be a problem as the cost is not that high and only involves between RM45mil and RM50mil.
“The only thing that is important to us is to maintain the stretch between the Ipoh Selatan toll plaza and the Jelapang toll plaza as a toll-free area as it complements the development of Ipoh,” he said after presenting keys to 500 owners of the affordable homes in Taman Raia Mesra, Kampung Kepayang in Batu Gajah.
On Sunday, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the plan to remove the Ipoh Selatan and Jelapang toll plazas had been withheld because the government could not afford its RM240mil cost.
He said the state had earlier agreed to the proposal by the Works Ministry to put the project on hold as there were plans to build an outer ring road in Ipoh.
