Planned WISE highway in Perak gets green light from govt

IPOH: It’s a go for the 60km-long West Ipoh Span Expressway (WISE) that will connect Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad said the project got the approval of the Federal Government at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

“The project will be developed with the concession company through a private finance initiative (PFI).

“WISE will complement the highways we have in Perak that often face severe congestion, especially along the route (on the North-South Expressway) near the Menora Tunnel, Kuala Kangsar,” he told reporters after attending the Perak Economic Outlook programme at the state secretariat building here yesterday.

On Sept 16, Malaysian Highway Authority chairman Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias said negotiations for WISE were in their final stages, and were expected to be finalised this month.

Saarani had in March 2021 said the state had received a proposal to construct the new expressway to Kuala Kangsar from Gopeng, with the plan being approved in June last year.

This, the Mentri Besar said, was so that traffic could be diverted during peak seasons or when there is an accident near the Menora tunnel.

Saarani said at the moment, motorists have no alternative other than the Chemor-Sungai Siput trunk road, or the North-South Expressway, to get to Kuala Kangsar (or travel from it).

“If an accident occurs near or at the tunnel or along the old road, motorists will be stuck as there are no options.

“With WISE, road users can take the route directly from Kuala Kangsar to Gopeng, or those from the north can exit at Changkat Jering (on the NSE) and use the West Coast Expressway (WCE),” he added.

Separately, Saarani said the country’s first non-radioactive rare earth element (NR-REE) laboratory will be built in Simpang Pulai.

“We are currently waiting for approval from the Natural Resources and Sustainability Ministry.

“The laboratory, which will be the first in the country, will be used for sampling tests.

“We hope the ministry will give the approval soon, as right now the tests are being done in China,” he added.

In October, Saarani said the laboratory would be a collaboration between three state agencies – Menteri Besar Incorporated, Perak State Agriculture Development Corporation, and the State Economic Development Corporation.