Taiping - Banting Expressway Expected to be Completed in 2019
The construction of the 233-kilometer West Coast Expressway from Banting, Selangor to Taiping, Perak passes through the west coast near Pekan Beruas, Simpang Empat, Hutan Melintang, and other towns along the route to Banting. This project provides many benefits as it shortens travel time to Kuala Lumpur and helps reduce traffic congestion in certain areas during festive seasons.
More interestingly, this West Coast Expressway will connect towns such as Banting, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Tanjung Karang, Sabak Bernam, and Teluk Intan. This RM6 billion project began in 2014, and we can now see construction work actively underway across almost all involved areas. It is said that this expressway will be subject to toll collection once it opens in 2019.
Tan Sri Dato' Haji Muhyiddin bin Yassin, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, inaugurated this mega infrastructure project on May 25, 2014, which will further boost development in the areas along its route, including Teluk Intan. During the groundbreaking ceremony, he stated that the five-year construction of the expressway proves the government's concern in addressing the public's issues with traffic congestion on the North-South Expressway (PLUS), especially during holidays or festive seasons. It is estimated that over 22,000 job opportunities have been created for the construction of the expressway, while between 2,000 and 3,000 permanent jobs will be available once the route is completed in 2019.
