KL-Karak Highway Widening Project Will Begin End-Feb

According to State Infrastructure and Agriculture Exco Datuk Izham Hashim, construction of the KL-Karak Highway (KLK) will commence at the end of this month and is expected to be completed in four years.

Izham responded to questions from Muhammad Hilman Idham (PN-Gombak Setia) about the implementation of the KLK development at the Selangor State Assembly. He confirmed that the federal government has approved the KLK widening project, which began preparatory construction last month and is slated to be finished by 2029. "The implementation of this project will provide great benefits to highway users, especially in overcoming traffic congestion issues and improving safety features," he stated.

According to Izham, the project will span 45.3 kilometres (km) and include lane additions in both directions, beginning at the Gombak Toll Plaza and ending in Bentong, Pahang. Additionally, he stated that the KLK widening would be carried out inside the current highway alignment or corridor, avoiding the need for additional property acquisition.

The RM2.1 billion project, which will be completely funded by concessionaire AFA Prime Berhad, comes after the federal government approved the widening project in early 2024 as a long-term solution to relieve traffic congestion in the area.

Upon completion in 2029, the road will have four lanes running in each direction from Gombak to Genting Sempah, and three lanes in each direction from Genting Sempah to Bentong. While the existing tunnel will remain unchanged, a new tunnel will be constructed 30 meters to its left, resulting in a total of three tunnels.