Govt agrees to restructure four highway concession companies to reduce toll - Ismail Sabri

SHAH ALAM - The government has agreed with the proposal to restructure four highway toll concession companies under Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (PROLINTAS) to reduce the toll rates of the highways involved, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ismail Sabri said the reduction of toll rates involved Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH), Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE), Lebuhraya Kemuning-Shah Alam (LKSA) and Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK), effective 12.01 am on Oct 20.

Meanwhile, the toll reduction for Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban (LEKAS) and Sungai Besi Expressway (BESRAYA) under IJM Corporation Berhad will come into effect from Jan 1 2023.

"All improvement works which I have announced just now took into consideration the restructuring of toll rates with the concession agreements are being finalised.

"Through the latest restructuring, the government will save RM8.8 billion in estimated compensation which should be paid to the concession companies involved. Highway users will enjoy the lower rate and lighten their burden.

He was speaking at the opening of the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Highway (DASH), here today.

Apart from that, Ismail Sabri said in an effort to accommodate the high traffic and deal with the problem of traffic congestion on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) from the Gombak Plaza Toll to the Bentong Plaza Toll, the government will build an additional lane and a new tunnel at Genting Sempah.

He said flood mitigation works on the East Coast Highway Phase 1 (LPT1) will also be carried out as floods often occur on the highway.

Commenting on the opening of the DASH highway, the Prime Minister said the government fully supports the efforts and continued commitment of concessionaires in boosting the development of the country's infrastructure thus proving the effectiveness of the Public Private Partnership project between PROLINTAS and the government.

He said the 20.1 kilometre (km) highway from Puncak Perdana to Penchala (total length of 55.4 km including interchanges) 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.

"The development of the highway industry plays a big role in the effort to develop the country, especially from the economic and infrastructure aspects with the existence of new development areas along the highway route.

"The DASH Highway project is one of 53 high-impact projects in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) which aims to create job opportunities, generate business spillovers and stimulate many more viable economic activities," he said.

Ismail Sabri said via the construction of the DASH Highway, 12,000 job opportunities were created involving management, engineering, technical, frontline assistants and contract workers.

He said the highway, which began construction in August 2016 was completed on Sept 30 and it is able to reduce traffic congestion in several strategic locations such as along Persiaran Mokthar Dahari, Jalan Sungai Buloh and Persiaran Surian by up to 40 per cent during peak hours.

According to him, the travel time is also expected to be reduced by 30 minutes during peak hours from Puncak Perdana Interchange to Penchala interchange compared to the existing route which takes one hour and 30 minutes.

"The DASH highway is an alternative route for users on the west side of Shah Alam travelling to Kuala Lumpur, thereby reducing congestion, travel time and disperse traffic more effectively," he said.

In addition, he said, the construction of the DASH Highway also applies elements of sustainability in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 and meets the criteria set under the Malaysian Green Highway Index (MyGHI) which includes the entire value chain of infrastructure development and takes environmental factors into account with a 'Gold' level rating.

In conjunction with the launching of the highway, the Prime Minister announced usage of the highway will be for free or without toll for one month from 12.01 am on Oct 14. - BERNAMA