For many road users, their daily commute involves going through a highway, which means paying a toll for the privilege. It’s a cost that adds up over time, bur for four specific highways, road users will see a slight reduction next month.
According to Bernama, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yakoob has announced that the government has agreed to restructure four highway toll concession companies under Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (PROLINTAS). The highways in question are the Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH), Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE), Lebuhraya Kemuning-Shah Alam (LKSA), and Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (SILK). The extent of the reduction was not shared, but the toll rates will go down at midnight of 20 October 2022.
The report also quotes the Prime Minister as saying that this latest restructuring will also save the government RM8.8 billion in estimated compensation to be paid to the concession companies. This is in addition to the reduced cost that road users will have to bear when passing through the toll gates.
Ismail Sabri made the announcement at the opening of the Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Highway (DASH). Construction of the highway started back in August of 2016, and was completed on 30 September. Attached to this new highway is a cost of RM4.2 billion. But with it, congestion at several locations can be reduced by up to 40% during peak hours. Similarly, travel time from the Puncak Perdana Interchange to Penchala Interchange will be reduced by 30 minutes from the 90 minutes using existing routes.
As TV3 reports, the use of the highway will be free starting tomorrow, 14 October until 30 November in conjunction with its opening.
