ONLY 1 PERAK STRETCH CAN OPEN BY RAYA

MHA has inspected Hutan MelintangTeluk Intan stretch, which is 97pc complete

The safety of motorists is our priority.

THE concessionaire of the West Coast Expressway (WCE) has confirmed that only one out of three packages of WCE in Perak can open before Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

WCE Sdn Bhd managing director Datuk Neoh Soon Hiong said the Hutan Melintang-Teluk Intan stretch, or Section 8, was 97 per cent finished and was the only stretch that can be opened before Hari Raya on June 5.

The other two packages in Perak, from Lekir to Changkat Melintang (Section 9) and Changkat Chermin to Beruas (Section 10), would only be opened about one or two months after Hari Raya.

“There is still much that needs to be done and we can’t open it halfway just for the Hari Raya rush. The safety of motorists is our priority,” he said yesterday.

In a statement earlier, WCE said the opening date for the expressway would be announced by the government soon.

It said inspection of Section 8 had been done by the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and covered all aspects of the physical completion of the highway.

“Inspectors found that Section 8 has adhered to conditions stipulated by MHA and can be opened to road users pending gazettement,” the statement said.

Neoh previously said WCE would do its best to ensure the expressway would be ready by the end of May, before the Hari Raya holidays.

He said the progress for Section 9 and 10 was at 95 per cent and 96

per cent complete respectively, and both sections were expected to be opened after Hari Raya.

However, Neoh said Section 8 would have to open without two of its rest and recreation areas (R&R areas).

“There are six R&R areas in all three packages in Perak and, at this moment, these areas have yet to be developed as we are focusing on completing roadworks.

“The R&Rs will only be ready about a month after Hari Raya.”

The R&R areas of WCE’s Perak packages are at the south of the Teluk Intan Interchange, south of the Changkat Chermin Interchange and south of the Taiping South Interchange.

Among facilities available at these R&R areas are food and beverage outlets, toilets, information counters, parking areas, public telephone booths, playgrounds and surau.

Other facilities include emergency medical or first aid service, Touch ’n Go card sale and reload services, as well as drivethrough counters, petrol and service stations and vehicle workshops.

Checks at the R&R areas recently showed that workers were still flattening the land, while at the Changkat Chermin Exit, the structure of the washrooms had been built, but other works were ongoing.

The 223km WCE stretches from Jalan Banting-Kuala Lumpur International Airport (B18) to the Tanjong Karang interchange (93.8km) in Selangor and from Jalan Persekutuan (FR5) in Hutan Melintang to the Changkat Jering Plaza Toll (139.2km) in Perak.

The three packages in Perak covers Hutan Melintang to Teluk Intan (19.1km), Lekir to Changkat Chermin (28km) and Changkat Chermin to Beruas (16.6km).

The Selangor package only involves the northern side of the state. Once the expressway is ready, it would take only 45 minutes to travel from Klang to Sekinchan in Selangor, and about an hour from Kuala Lumpur to Manjung, Perak.

DATUK NEOH SOON HIONG WCE Sdn Bhd managing director