Skip to main content

US$1.4 billion Malaysia expressway project

Plans are underway for a US$1.4 billion Malaysia expressway project.
By MJ Woof November 7, 2024 Read time: 1 min
The new WISE project in Malaysia will deliver transport improvements – image © courtesy of WISE


Construction of Malaysia’s West Ipoh Span Expressway (WISE) is expected to cost US$1.4 billion. The firm holding the concession for the route, East Coast Road Sdn Bhd (ECRSB), will pay for the project’s construction.

The concession agreement for the 61km route is for a 55-year period and the toll charges have already been agreed also. Construction is expected to take 48 months to complete and when open in 2028, the route will make a significant reduction in congestion on other roads in the area.

According to WISE, “The long-awaited highway spanning from Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar in Perak, will be a strategic asset, driving social, environmental, and economic progress. WISE will unlock countless opportunities, fuelling economic growth and social development, particularly in Perak.

The route runs from Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar, bypassing the winding and steep gradient of the existing North-South Expressway (NSE) which traverses through the Keledang Range in Central Perak. The route has been designed as a dual-three lane expressway with a design speed of 120km/h and a speed limit of 110km/h. The WISE link will utilise modern Multi-Lane Fast Flow (MLFF) tolling technology.

 

Related Content

  • Developments in tolling technology
    February 27, 2012
    Jason Barnes reviews the last few decades and the future of tolling technology. Tolling and charging technology has evolved significantly over the last three decades and that evolution is perhaps best illustrated by reductions in or complete removal of impedances to physical progress. Once, it was customary for a driver to pull up to a barrier, make some form of cash payment to a human operative in a booth, and then wait for the barrier to be raised before proceeding. Humans were eventually complemented and
  • Highway 407 Revisited – smart tollroad extension
    June 7, 2016
    In the late 1990s, World Highways published a supplement on construction of Canada’s Highway 407, the world’s first all-electronic toll road. But how successful has it been? David Arminas reports from Toronto The head office for 407 ETR Concession Company is a low-rise building next to exit 59, just north of Toronto, Canada’s economic powerhouse. The building may be non-descript but inside is the advanced technical heart of Highway 407 ETR – Express Toll Route. It houses the latest toll monitoring techno
  • $491 million improving roads for the Philippines
    July 15, 2025
    A budget of $491 million will help improve roads for the Philippines.
  • Major tunnel project planned for Malaysia
    March 4, 2013
    A large tunnel project is being planned for Malaysia’s Penang State. This project has been awarded to a joint venture, Consortium Zenith, formed by Chinese and Malaysian partners. The 6.5km Gurney Drive-Bagan Ajam undersea tunnel will form the centrepiece of the project. However the work will also include the construction of a 12km road connecting Tanjung Bungah with Teluk Bahang, the 4.6km Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu-Bandar Baru Air Itam bypass and the 4.2km Gurney Drive-Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu byp