WCE To Serve 300,000 Vehicles When Opened & Is A Safer Highway!

According to Utusan Malaysia, the West Coast Expressway (WCE) and Federal Route 5 (FR5), which span a total length of 275.8 kilometres (km), would accommodate at least 300,000 vehicles per day when completed by the end of next year or early 2025.

The WCE, Malaysia's second longest highway, has the ability to divert up to 20% of traffic from the North-South Motorway (PLUS), which serves 1.8 million users, reducing congestion, particularly in the northern region during holiday seasons.

Moreover, the opening of sections in Bandar Bukit Raja, Hutan Melintang, Lekir, and Changkat Chermin in Perak, specifically Sections 5, 8, 9, and 10 since May 2019, has resulted in a traffic increase of up to 60 percent this year. Since the initial opening of Hutan Melintang, Perak 73.4 km stretch there has been a flow of 35,000 vehicles, which has now risen to an average of 50,000 to 60,000 vehicles per day.

Lyndon Alfred Felix, CEO of WCE Berhad, disclosed that this year will see the opening of four sections: Sections 1, 2, 6, and 11, encompassing areas such as Banting, the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), Assam Jawa, and South Taiping.

Meanwhile Section 4, which serves as the connection to the Federal Highway and is currently 99 percent complete and will be opened once land acquisition matters are resolved around Jalan Kebun for Section 3, linking to Shah Alam Expressway (Kesas).

Lyndon also added that for this coming Hari Raya Haji celebrations, WCE is prepared to accommodate over 100,000 vehicles, surpassing last year's figure of 60,000. WCE would also prove to be a convenient route for residents residing in Shah Alam, Klang, and Kuala Langat, who wish to travel north without encountering traffic from Kuala Lumpur, Hulu Selangor, Gombak, and Hulu Langat.

From a safety perspective, according to him, the WCE offers a safer option with its flat and less winding route, unlike other highways which are built on hilly and hazardous routes making WCE particularly suitable for heavy vehicles.