The parliament may have been dissolved, but there’s still a caretaker government, and caretaker Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced that there will be a toll fare reduction across multiple highways in Klang Valley. This is apparently part of the government’s goal to lower the living costs that the people face.
The toll fare reduction will be done in two phases over the next three months. The first phase will begin later this month on 20 October, and will see reduced toll fares on the following highways:
- Ampang-Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway (AKLEH)
- Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCE)
- Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway (LKSA)
- Kajang Dispersal Link Highway (SILK)
Meanwhile, the second phase of the toll fare reductions will happen next year on 1 Jan 2023. The second phase will include the following highways:
- Kajang-Seremban Highway (LEKAS)
- Sungai Besi Expressway (BESRAYA)
The caretaker Prime Minister announced these toll fare changes during today’s launch of the new Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (DASH) today, with DASH users also able to enjoy the first month of the highway for free. The Works Ministry meanwhile added that the new toll fare rates were still being finalised.
As reported by Malay Mail, the move to reduce the toll fares for these highways were apparently made earlier this year, at Cabinet meetings held on 18 May and 1 June for the first four highways and the latter two highways respectively. The government will also be widening the Kuala-Lumpur Karak Expressway (KLK) from the Gombak toll plaza up to the Bentong toll plaza with a new lane to reduce the traffic. Ismail Sabri also announced a new tunneled road will be built in Genting Sempah to ease traffic there, as well as flood mitigation works on the East Coast Expressway.
Despite these decisions having been made earlier this year though, they have only been announced just days after the Dewan Rakyat had been dissolved with the 15th general election is expected to take place in the coming weeks.
