On Site Works For Kl Karak Highway Expansion To Commence End Feb

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The project to widen the Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway will ease congestion during holidays and weekends. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: On-site works to widen the Kuala Lumpur-Karak highway are expected to commence at the end of February, says works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi.
Nanta said the project is in the final phase of appointing a contractor.
“The widening will be carried out within the existing highway corridor/reserve without requiring the acquisition of additional land,” he said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply.
Nanta was responding to Amirudin Shari (PH-Gombak), who asked about the status of the project. Amirudin also asked about the measures the ministry was taking to ensure that the rights of residents living along the existing highway are protected if relocation becomes necessary.
Nanta said that for Selangor, portions of the highway reserve are owned by Selangor’s Department of Director General of Lands and Mines and the state’s forestry department.
“The KL-Karak highway concessionaire, Afa Prime Bhd, has engaged with both departments and identified that most settlements along the highway’s periphery are squatter settlements, which, in principle, constitute encroachments on land owned by the authorities.”
He also said that the concessionaire, together with the two departments and other relevant stakeholders, had conducted a survey of the affected settlements.
“A report based on the survey will be reviewed by the departments for further action, in accordance with applicable regulations and guidelines,” Nanta said.
He urged the agencies under the Selangor government to provide their full support and take swift action to ensure that the project proceeds smoothly and is completed on schedule.
Deputy works minister Ahmad Maslan said last November that the project, which is expected to be completed by 2029, would help address congestion, especially during festive seasons, public holidays, and weekends.
It will span 45.3km at a cost of RM2.1 billion. The work will also include the construction of a new two-lane tunnel adjacent to the existing one heading east. - FMT

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