Earlier today, works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said via a Facebook post that a supplemental concession agreement (SCA) has been signed between the government, via the works ministry (KKR), and IJM Corp, via its wholly-owned subsidiary New Pantai Expressway (NPE), to formalise the approval for the construction of the New Pantai Expressway extension (NPE2).
As part of the SCA, Nanta said the government has approved the extension of the existing NPE concession timeframe by 27 years, from its original 2030 period to 2057. It has also agreed to IJM’s proposal to the restructuring of toll rates on the NPE, this being accomplished by maintaining the present toll rate (RM2.30 for Class 1 vehicles) until the end of the concession period in 2057.
Nanta said the move is expected to generate savings of about RM185 million in compensation payments for the government during the original concession period (2024-2030).
The NPE2 is a 15 km-long, fully elevated route from the Pantai Dalam toll plaza to the Jalan Istana interchange via Jalan Syed Putra, and will connect with the NPE, Sungai Besi Expressway (Besraya) and the upcoming Laluan Istana-Kiara Expressway (LIKE) when it is completed.
According to IJM, construction of the highway extension is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of this year and will take four years to complete. It added that the construction cost of RM1.418 billion will be fully borne by it.
The project is very much a part of the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Master Plan 2040, which prioritises highway-to-highway connections that keep through-traffic out of the city’s core. With four ramps and two new elevated interchanges, the NPE2 is expected to dissipate traffic in KL, especially along Jalan Syed Putra, Jalan Bangsar and Jalan Istana, saving motorists up to 25 minutes in travel time.
As previously reported, there will be one new toll plaza, which is the Syed Putra toll plaza. The NPE2 will also include support for the multi-lane fast flow (MLFF) tolling system, a Smart Highway monitoring system, smart street lighting and a new lay-by with EV chargers.
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