KUALA LUMPUR: The RM2.1bil Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) widening project and construction of a third Genting Sempah tunnel are expected to be fully completed by March 8, 2030.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said construction started in March this year and was expected to be completed within the four-year period approved by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM).
However, he said the developer had given an assurance that the strategic infrastructure project could potentially be completed a year ahead of schedule.
"The contract period is four years, which means completion is in 2030. But earlier, we were given an assurance by AFA Group that it could be completed in 2029,” he told a press conference after officiating the project groundbreaking ceremony here on Thursday (Aug 20).
Also present were LLM chairman Datuk Seri Hasni Mohammad, LLM director-general Mohd Hadzmir Yusoff and AFA Group chairman Tan Sri Dr Azmil Khalid.
Nanta described the possibility of early completion as a positive development, given that the project is crucial in addressing congestion, safety and user comfort along the route connecting the Klang Valley to the East Coast.
He said the project was also urgently needed as the number of vehicles using the main corridor had increased significantly compared with three decades ago.
"Daily traffic in 1997 was only 41,000 vehicles. Now it has increased to between 135,000 and 170,000 vehicles daily. Imagine how this project will help ensure greater comfort and safety for road users,” he said.
Fully funded by concession holder AFA Group, the project involves widening a 45.3-kilometre stretch of the highway across Selangor and Pahang.
The KLK expansion covers the widening of the expressway from two and three lanes to three and four lanes in each direction, stretching from KM19.2 near the Gombak Toll Plaza to KM64.5 at the Mempaga Interchange in Bentong.
The project’s key engineering component is the construction of a 999-metre third tunnel at Genting Sempah using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). The tunnel will operate alongside the existing Westbound Tunnel, which opened in 1978, and Eastbound Tunnel, which opened in 1996.- Bernama
