The 24km East Klang Valley Expressway, from Sungai Long to Ukay Perdana, had been delayed due to civil suits and rising costs. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Deputy works minister Ahmad Maslan has urged the concession company for the delayed East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) to draw lessons from contractors in India who completed the 100km Ghaziabad-Aligarh Expressway in 100 hours.
The Indian expressway, which crosses through various towns and cities in Uttar Pradesh, was completed in May last year.
When winding up his speech for the Supply Bill 2025, Ahmad had expressed disappointment that the EKVE project remained unfinished despite having been in progress for 10 years.
“I have repeatedly told the EKVE concession company to learn from road construction in India, where a 100km expressway was completed in just 100 hours.
“This means 1km was completed in one hour. Meanwhile, nearly 40km of the EKVE has been under construction for 10 years without completion, which is truly disheartening and disappointing,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
He was responding to a question from Rodziah Ismail (PH-Ampang), who asked the ministry to specify the final completion date for the EKVE project.
In March, works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said the EKVE was expected to be completed by Dec 31 next year.
He said Putrajaya signed a fifth supplementary concession agreement with the highway’s concessionaire on Nov 11 last year.
The 24km EKVE dual carriageway, connecting Sungai Long in Kajang to Ukay Perdana in Ampang, was expected to cost about RM1.55 billion.
It was initially slated for completion in 2019 but had been delayed several times due to issues such as civil suits and rising costs.
The works ministry previously expected the highway to be opened in phases this year.
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