This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on December 18, 2023 - December 24, 2023

Lately, there has been news of a number of new highways being proposed, such as the RM5.75 billion 60km West Ipoh Span Expressway (WISE), which will link Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar and bypass the North-South Expressway’s Menora Tunnel. More recently, there have been reports on a 53km expressway running alongside the Klang River to be built by Sungai Klang Link Sdn Bhd (SKL), which will commence in Klang at the West Coast Expressway (WCE) interchange and conclude at the New Pantai Expressway 2 interchange.

According to Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, WISE has received the green light from the cabinet, while SKL’s expressway is said to be in the final stages of approval.

SKL has inked a memorandum of understanding with MTD Construction Sdn Bhd to participate in the development and construction of the highway project, which is expected to be largely elevated. However, an elevated highway means the construction costs are likely to be very high, meaning that the toll charges will be high as well and could deter motorists from utilising the highway.

For WISE, at 60km in length and a cost of RM5.75 billion, it works out to about RM90 million per km. This raises the question of whether the traffic figures will be able to sustain the operator if toll charges are reasonably priced. There is also the question of how many people will actually use the highway that will stretch from Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar.

While the proposed WISE is meant to bypass the Menora Tunnel, which can get congested in the event of an accident, there are portions of the WCE, which runs parallel to the North-South Expressway, that already bypass the said tunnel.

If the proposals were to get the requisite approvals from the government, will the highway operators be able to secure funding for the projects? More importantly, do the operators have the requisite experience in operating highways?

Perhaps the authorities should not just give approval to all and sundry, but look at the feasibility and bankability of projects before issuing approvals. It is also necessary to mention who will pay for the land acquisition costs and whether any government funding is involved.

Note: This article has been amended for accuracy.

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