NPE Extension Deal Inked, RM1.4b+ Project Starts Q4 2025

The government and New Pantai Expressway Sdn Bhd, a unit under IJM Corporation, have sealed a supplemental concession agreement to build a 15 KM extension of the New Pantai Expressway (NPE).

The RM1.418 billion project will be fully funded by the concessionaire without government financing. Construction of the elevated highway is scheduled to kick off in Q4 2025 and is expected to take four years.

Stretching from the Pantai Dalam Toll Plaza to Jalan Istana via Jalan Syed Putra, the extension will introduce four new ramps, two interchanges and a new Syed Putra toll plaza. It will also feature Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling and a smart highway monitoring system.

Officials said the project is designed to ease some of Kuala Lumpur’s worst traffic choke points. By creating a direct link to the Jalan Istana Interchange, the extension will tie into three expressways - the existing NPE, the Sungai Besi Expressway (BESRAYA) and the upcoming Laluan Istana–Kiara Expressway (LIKE).

Traffic studies suggest the new link could cut journey times between Pantai Dalam and the city centre by as much as 25 minutes, while diverting up to 40 per cent of vehicles from Jalan Bangsar, Jalan Syed Putra and Jalan Istana.

Under the revised concession terms, toll rates on the existing NPE will remain unchanged until the concession ends in 2057. The restructuring is also expected to save the government between RM185 million and RM191 million in compensation payments that would have otherwise been paid up to 2030.

The agreement was signed at the Works Ministry (KKR) headquarters by secretary-general Datuk Seri Azman Ibrahim on behalf of the government and IJM group CEO and MD Datuk Lee Chun Fai for NPE. Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi witnessed the signing.

Nanta said the project underscored the government’s commitment to strengthening urban highway networks under the Kuala Lumpur Traffic Master Plan 2040, while Lee described the deal as a milestone in IJM’s efforts to boost connectivity in the Klang Valley.