WCE Holdings Bhd aims to complete four sections of the West Coast Expressway (WCE), currently under construction, by the end of the financial year ending March 31, 2024.
These four sections are Sections 1, 2, 6, and 11, which when completed will connect Section 1 to the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Section 2 to the Shah Alam Expressway (KESAS), Section 6 to the Kuala Lumpur-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR), and Section 11 to the North-South Expressway (PLUS).
Furthermore, Sections 3, 4, and 7 are expected to be fully completed by the financial year 2025. WCE Holdings Chief Executive Officer Lyndon Alfred Felix anticipates positive traffic flow growth following the opening of the four new sections.
“Several factors contribute to this confidence in positive traffic growth. First, three out of the four sections are located in Selangor, which tends to have higher traffic volumes.
“Secondly, these sections are connected to other major highways, which will encourage more usage. The opening of these four sections will create greater opportunities for medium to long-distance travel and commercial vehicles,” he stated in a press release today.
Lyndon stated that they expect an increase in medium to long-distance users and an increase in commercial vehicles, as congestion on the PLUS highway will also play a crucial role in diverting road users to WCE.
He mentioned that since its opening in 2019, the four operational sections have recorded impressive traffic numbers, averaging between 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day, indicating a 65 percent increase compared to the previous financial year.
“During the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration last April, traffic reached a record 100,000 vehicles per day, a significant increase compared to 60,000 vehicles per day during the same festive period in the previous financial year,” he said.
Lyndon also mentioned that up to now, 99.9 percent of land acquisition for the entire project has been completed.
“The land trial process for the remaining eight lots related to Section 3 of WCE (KESAS-Federal Route 2) has been completed, and payments to landowners are being finalised.
“We expect to fully complete the land acquisition process for these eight lots by the end of this year,” he said.
Established in December 2000 and listed on November 17, 2003, WCE Holdings focuses on implementing the WCE project through its subsidiary, West Coast Expressway Sdn Bhd.
This build-operate-transfer privatisation project involves the construction of a 320-kilometre (km) highway, including 83 km of toll-free sections on Federal Route 5 upgraded by the Public Works Department, connecting the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia from Banting, Selangor, to Taiping, Perak.
