Lower tolls on six expressways

SHAH ALAM: Motorists will be paying lower toll fares at six major expressways in the Klang Valley next week, says the caretaker Prime Minister.

The announcement by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob comes after the government agreed on the restructuring of highway toll concession companies that will see toll fares being lowered effective 12.01am on Oct 20.

“The government has agreed to the restructuring of four concession companies under Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) and to reduce the toll rates.

“The reduction of the toll rates involves the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (Akleh), Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE), Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway (LKSA) and Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (Silk), which will come into effect at 12.01am on Oct 20,” he said at the opening of the Damansara-Shah Alam (DASH) Expressway yesterday.

Apart from the four expressways, he said toll rates for the Kajang-Seremban Highway (Lekas) and Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya) under IJM Corporation Bhd will be reduced on Jan 1, 2023.

Alternative route: An aerial view of the newly opened Damansara-Shah Alam (DASH) Expressway.

The caretaker Prime Minister said an additional lane and a new tunnel at Genting Sempah will be added at the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) from the Gombak toll plaza to the Bentong toll plaza to help reduce traffic congestion.

Flood mitigation works on the East Coast Highway Phase 1 (LPT1) will also be carried out as floods often occur on the highway, he added.

“All these improvement works took into consideration the restructuring of toll rates with the concession agreements being finalised.

“Through the latest restructuring, the government will save RM8.8bil in estimated compensation which should be paid to the concession companies involved. Highway users will enjoy the lower rate to lighten their burden,” he said.

On the opening of the DASH Expressway, Ismail Sabri said the expressway will be an alternative route for motorists from Shah Alam to Kuala Lumpur.

It will ease congestion, travel time and traffic flow in areas between the two cities.

It is expected to help smoothen traffic along Persiaran Mokhtar Dahari, Jalan Sungai Buloh and Persiaran Surian by 40% and save motorists up to 30 minutes compared to an hour and a half during peak hours, he added.

Ismail Sabri checking its fully enclosed noise barrier at the Damansara Perdana interchange. With him are (from left) Prolintas group chief executive officer Datuk Mohammad Azlan Abdullah, Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, Fadillah, Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Hassan and Prolintas chairman Datuk Idris Kechot. Also present are other officials and VIPs. — GLENN GUAN/The Star

Ismail Sabri said the DASH Expressway is expected to stimulate the development and growth of economic areas such as new housing and commercial areas along the highway including Puncak Alam, Elmina and Kwasa Damansara.

Besides that, over 12,000 job opportunities will be created involving management, engineering, technical, frontline assistants and contract workers.

He said the DASH Expressway was one of 53 high impact projects initiated by the government under the Economic Transformation Plan.

The 20.1km-long expressway stretches from Puncak Perdana to Penchala, and has a 55.4km length when its interchanges are included.

In conjunction with the launch of the highway, users can travel toll-free from 12.01am today until Nov 30.

Earlier in his speech, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof commended Prolintas for the efforts in opening two expressways in under a month.

Apart from DASH, he said the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) was opened on Sept 16 with motorists enjoying the use of the expressway toll-free for a month.

The construction of DASH, which began in August 2016 and was completed last month, costs RM4.2bil under a 55-year concession period which ends on Dec 24, 2069.

The expressway is expected to handle 50,000 vehicles daily.