The New Pantai Expressway concession has been extended from 2030 to 2057. This is due to the New Pantai Expressway Extension Project, dubbed NPE2. IJM Corporation, the company responsible for building the extension, has said that it will use the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) toll system when it is completed, according to a Bernama report. As you’d expect, the implementation of the toll system is to reduce traffic congestion, especially during peak hours.
That being the case, the company is prepared to switch to more conventional toll systems in the event that MLFF has not yet been implemented by the time the construction of NPE2 has been completed. The report cites Chua Lay Hoon, CEO of IJM’s Toll Division, as saying “if the MLFF has not yet been implemented after this project is completed, the transition to another toll system can be done with changes to the toll collection equipment without requiring major modifications”.
Per the report, NPE2 is worth RM1.7 billion, and is currently at about 6% of the process, including the initial design and modelling work. Per the company’s own press release, the groundbreaking for the extension was done back in November of last year, with physical work at the construction site having started last month. It is expected to be completed in 2029, and it involves a main route of 6.4km, or 15km in total, including a ramp from the Pantai Dalam Toll Plaza to Jalan Istana.
Once completed, NPE2 is expected to divert up to 40% of traffic from Jalan Bangsar towards the city centre. This is also expected to cut down travelling time from Bangsar or Mid Valley to Subang Jaya by up to 25 minutes. And while the construction of the extension is expected to be done by 2029, operations are only expected to begin in the next year.
