[ UPDATE 13/03/2024 11:30 ] Here’s how to drive from Kuala Lumpur to Taiping or Penang on WCE via PLUS Highway.
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Following last month’s revelation, Works Minister Alexander Nanti Linggi today has officially launched the Section 11 portion of the West Coast Expressway (WCE). Covering Beruas to Taiping South, the new route will be opened to the public tomorrow, 12 March at 12:01 AM.
You can travel toll-free on WCE Section 11 for two months
Covering a distance of 35.5km, WCE’s Section 11 offers a direct connection from the PLUS highway in Changkat Jering to Beruas. WCE claimed that the new section can reduce travel time between Changkat Jering to Beruas from 55 minutes to just 20 minutes.
Since the route is also less hilly and smoother, WCE claimed that users may also experience some fuel savings as well. Meanwhile, you can also utilise the Section 11 portion of the WCE toll-free starting from the moment it opened to the public tonight until 11:59 PM of 11 May 2024.
The long toll-free period may seem a little bit out of the ordinary but Alexander has pointed out that this was done in consideration of the upcoming Raya season. Just to be clear, the toll-free travel will only apply to the three toll plazas within the section which include Taiping South, Trong, and Beruas.
So, you will still incur a toll fee if you enter or exit using other toll plazas within WCE’s Perak alignment. In case you are confused how it works, here’s a handy table from WCE:
The new section marks the completion of WCE’s Perak alignment
Being positioned as the alternative route to the Northern part of Peninsular Malaysia, the WCE is a 314.5km highway that starts from Banting and ends at Taiping South. At the moment, only several sections of the highway have been opened to the public including Hutan Melintang to Taiping Selatan and Bandar Bukit Raja Selatan to Assam Jawa.
The opening of Section 11 can be considered a major milestone for WCE since this means that all of the highway’s routes in Perak can be used by the public. Other portions of WCE that are expected to be opened within this year include Section 1 (Banting – SKVE) and Section 2 (SKVE – SAE) while Section 3 and 4 (SAE – NKVE/FH2) will only be ready by mid-2025.
