KUANTAN: Work to widen the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) to accommodate the growing traffic volume will begin by the middle of the year.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the project, which had received the nod from the federal government, will be carried out by Anih Bhd, the concessionaire of the KLK.
"The KLK widening work, which is part of the long-term plans to reduce traffic congestion, will begin in the second quarter of the year. Road work will begin from the Gombak Toll Plaza to the Central Spine Road (CSR) intersection in Bentong.
"The highway expansion work includes the construction of a new tunnel, upgrading the road shoulder and installing new streetlights along the highway for the safety and comfort of road users," he said today.
Last year, former deputy works minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad announced that the RM2.1 billion project between the Gombak Toll Plaza and CSR in Bentong is expected to be completed in 2027.
He said the project along the 45.3km stretch includes the construction of a new two-lane tunnel at Genting Sempah, which will be built next to the east-bound tunnel (from Pahang).
Wan Rosdy said the state government was aware about the congestion issue, which usually occurs during festive seasons, public holidays and weekends along the 42km stretch between the Bentong and Gombak Toll Plazas.
"I have contacted Anih Bhd and the Malaysian Highway Authority to give a briefing and discuss measures to overcome the problem during the state executive council meeting (yesterday).
"Several short-term solutions have been identified to help ease traffic congestion."
He said they include scheduling repair and maintenance work during off-peak hours, issuing a travel time advisory during festive seasons, increasing manpower on the ground in the event of any unexpected incident (on the highway) and placing crane services on standby (in case of accidents).
Wan Rosdy said two tidal flow (contraflow) lanes will be activated at Km55-59 eastbound and Km60-56 westbound of the highway to ease congestion but it depends on the traffic flow on both directions, and there will be lane segregation at the Gombak Toll Plaza according to destinations (Batu Cave/Ampang) to reduce traffic "weaving" issues.
