Three more interchanges on North-South Expressway

PETALING JAYA: Plus Expressways Bhd (PLUS), the largest highway concessionaire in the country, will build three elevated interchanges at a cost of RM250 million in Sungai Buaya, Selangor; Alor Pongsu, Perak; and Bukit Gambir, Johor; for the convenience of users of the North-South Expressway.

Its chief operating officer, Nik Airina Nik Jaffar, said all projects would be completed in two to three years.

"Each interchange will be equipped with various facilities like surau, toilets and vehicle parking bays," she told a news conference, here Sunday.

She said the construction of the interchange in Sungai Buaya at Km436, between the Bukit Beruntung and Rawang interchanges, was expected to begin early next year.

At present, she said, residents in Sungai Buaya and Sungai Choh had to use the Bukit Beruntung interchange to enter the expressway.

"The new elevated interchange will reduce their travel time by 15 to 20 minutes and shorten their journey by 16km," she said.

She also said that the interchange would act as an alternative route to reduce traffic congestion in Rawang.

The construction of the interchange in Bukit Gambir at Km157, between the Tangkak and Pagoh interchanges, would begin in June while the project in Alor Pongsu at Km181, between the Bandar Baru and Bukit Merah interchanges, would begin at the end of the year, she said.

Nik Airina said PLUS also planned to improve and upgrade existing facilities along the expressway.

Besides the North-South Expressway, PLUS is also the concession holder for other expressways including the North-South Expressway Central Link (Elite) and the Second Link Expressway (Linkedua). -- Bernama