The RM2.1 billion Genting Sempah third tunnel and Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) widening project could be completed in 2029, a year ahead of its contractual completion date of March 8, 2030.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the project, which physically commenced in March, is being implemented under a four-year construction period approved by the Malaysian Highway Authority.
However, project developer AFA Group has given an assurance that the strategic infrastructure project has the potential to be delivered a year earlier.
“Under the contract, it is four years, which means completion in 2030. But we were just given an assurance by AFA Group that it could be completed in 2029,” Nanta Linggi said after officiating the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.
Nanta Linggi said completing the project ahead of schedule would be a positive development given its importance in addressing congestion, safety and driving comfort along the key corridor linking the Klang Valley with the East Coast.
Traffic volumes along the route have risen sharply over the past three decades, from around 41,000 vehicles per day in 1997 to between 135,000 and 170,000 vehicles currently.
He said the upgrade would help improve both capacity and road safety for users of the heavily travelled expressway.
Fully funded by concession holder AFA Group, the project involves widening a 45.3km stretch across Selangor and Pahang.
The works will expand sections of the KLK from two and three lanes to three and four lanes in each direction, covering KM19.2 near the Gombak Toll Plaza to KM64.5 at the Mempaga Interchange in Bentong.
The new tunnel will operate alongside the existing westbound tunnel opened in 1978 and the eastbound tunnel opened in 1996.
