East Coast Expressway ready soon

[ethan]

Tuesday April 20, 2004
East Coast Expressway ready soon

KUALA TERENGGANU: Work on the second phase of the East Coast Expressway, which will cut travel time from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu by almost half, is expected to begin by the middle of the year.

Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Idris Jusoh said that some stretches, if not the full highway, should be in operation within three years.

Construction on Phase One started in August 2000 from Karak to Kuantan to the Pahang/Terengganu border.

But according to Idris, construction on the stretch from Pahang to Terengganu didn't quite take off due to “differences in views” and “non-aligned thinking” between PAS, which ruled the state from 1999 until the recent March 21 general election and the Federal Government.

Meanwhile, the 169km stretch under Phase One, costing over RM1.4bil, is expected to be ready by July or August, Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Datuk George George said.

The proposed alignment for Phase Two was a 170km stretch up to Kuala Terengganu and Sungai Tong but now, Idris said: “the Federal Government wanted it extended until the Terengganu/Kelantan border to benefit the whole of Terengganu.”

Whether the expressway ends at Kuala Terengganu or the Kelantan border, both state and federal leaders expect it to jump-start the local economy.

“We hope this will help us to bring down the number of hardcore poor in four or five years,” said Idris.

The Mentri Besar also plans a small and medium industry hub near Paka to serve the petrochemical industry in Paka and Kertih.

And, he said, Petronas was planning a 1,000ha integrated township in that area which could tap the purchasing power of 5,000 Petronas employees and their families of up to 20,000 people.

With a shopping mall, outlets, bowling and restaurants, Idris reckons, the township could even attract shoppers from Kuantan.

“The people of Terengganu have waited a long time for this expressway,” said Dungun MP Datuk Rosli Mat Hassan.

Lack of infrastructure and transport had discouraged investors and entrepreneurs, he said, but with the expressway they would be able to transport agricultural produce and raw materials to Kuala Lumpur faster. – Bernama

[baqthier]

Another great reason to go to Kuantan..again!

[baqthier]

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/6/8/nation/8159740&sec=nation

From THe Star

East Coast Highway nearing completion

TEMERLOH: The entire 169km East Coast Highway will be fully completed by next month, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said.

He said work to complete construction of the highway from Kuantan to Karak would be completed according to schedule.

?Everything has been done according to plan and we expect the highway to be ready by end of July.

?The toll rates have not been decided yet. We will have a Cabinet meeting first to decide on the toll rates,? Samy told reporters after attending the Pahang MIC convention at Dewan Tun Razak here on Sunday.

The highway, which costs RM1.3bil, is a continuation of the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway and it is expected to extend to Kuala Terengganu.

The East Coast Highway will cut travelling time from Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur by half.

Presently, it takes four-and-a-half hours to travel from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan on the trunk road but with the new highway it will take about two-and-a-half hours.

[ZaHiRnYa???]

Good news. 2 and half hours only. Half an hour less from KL to Taiping ;)

[chaos83]

An expressway is more than a smooth pathway. The economical benefits are impossibe to estimate. It will certainly be positive to the Malaysian economy. Congrats! :cheers1:

[TYW]

cool!

with the highway, it's gonna seems like malaysia is getting smaller coz travelling time is cut down so much

[szehoong]

An expressway is more than a smooth pathway. The economical benefits are impossibe to estimate. It will certainly be positive to the Malaysian economy. Congrats! :cheers1:


Thanks! :cheers:


yea......all our expressways have opened up our country and it boosted our economy leaps and bounds. Hopefully this would give the East Coast an economic miracle! :okay:

BTW haven't been to Kuantan in ages..... :D

[THT-United]

That's excellent news!

Finally, got good reason to go to my mum's hometown in Kemaman, TG (1 hr drive from KTN) even for just a day... Since traveling time has been cut to 2-and-a-half hours from the usual 5...

[szehoong]

Highway to open August


PETALING JAYA: The RM1.3bil Karak-Kuantan stretch of the East Coast Expressway will open in August after it is completed, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said yesterday.

He dismissed talk that the expressway was open after the Sultan of Pahang took a test drive along the Karak-Chenor stretch of the highway last Monday.

“The highway is a Federal project and its opening will only be after it is gazetted. The announcement has to come from my ministry,” Samy Vellu said after opening the Builders Convention 2004 organised by the Master Builders Association of Malaysia.

He added that the Cabinet had to approve the opening of the highway before the gazette notification could be made.

Construction on the 169km of the expressway began in August 2000 and is scheduled for completion in August 2004. It will run on a closed toll system.

Samy Vellu said he would meet the Sultan of Pahang soon to brief him on the highway.

Although work on the Karak to Chenor stretch had been completed, it would be better to open the entire highway in one go, he said.

“If we open it now, motorists have to go through Temerloh where the access road is still under construction and this can lead to traffic congestion,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, Samy Vellu said the Master Builders Association should set up a centre to scout for projects abroad.

“The centre can identify the opportunities available, the requirement and how to bid for them,” he said, adding that the Government will assist them.

Samy Vellu said the Indian Government had proposed to construct 12,000km of highway network in the golden triangle area in New Delhi, of which the Malaysian Professional Skills Development was the consultant for 3,000km.

[TYW]

what's the meaning of closed toll system??:?

[huaiwei]

I suppose the voters in Kuantan ousted the PAS so that they can drive to KL faster? :D

[baqthier]

Kuantan was never under PAS. BTW, Kuantan is the capital of Pahang state. I think you meant Kelantan, which is a state. :D And yes, the ruling coalition won back Kota Bharu(capital of Kelantan) and Malacca city after decades :cool:

[huaiwei]

Ops! My bad! :D Sorry lah placename mixup here. :bow:

[jump]

any pictures?

[THT-United]

Updates!

My uncle who lives in Kemaman, TG (about 1 hrs drive from Kuantan) mentioned that the highway will open on Aug 1 @ 1800 hrs!

Hope that is true, then its a good reason to take leave for a day and just go to the east coast for a short break with my gf :) ...

[mams]

12 sen a km toll
likely for East
Coast Expressway
By OOI TEE CHING

http://img63.exs.cx/img63/6572/coast.jpg

The toll rate for Phase 1 of the East Coast Expressway (ECE) stretching from Karak to Kuantan is expected to be 3 per cent lower than that of North-South Expressway (NSE).

Sources said the toll rate for the 169km highway is expected to be at 12 sen per km against 12.36 sen per km for the NSE.

MTD Capital Bhd, which built the expressway, is expected to begin collecting toll on September 1, one month after its opening this Sunday by the Sultan of Pahang.

The new expressway will cut travelling time by 50 per cent to one-and-a-half hours from three hours previously.

“Road users will be able to enjoy the journey from Karak to Kuantan toll-free for the whole of August,” sources said.

Phase 1 of the ECE is a closed toll system with eight interchanges at Karak, Lanchang, Temerloh, Chenor, Maran, Seri Jaya, Gambang and Kuantan. There are 85 underpasses to allow easy movement for local villagers at either side of the expressway, or an underpass at every 2km.

A construction stock analyst with a local research house said the lower rate is mainly due to the fact that the expressway will mostly cater to average income earners.

“The Government understands the plight of road users. It is possible that the price is set lower to generate more traffic volume and bring about more economic spin-offs in the eastern corridors,” the stock analyst said.

It was reported in 2001 that the Government awarded a turnkey construction contract worth RM1.3 billion to MTD Capital Bhd to build the first phase of the ECE from Karak to Kuantan.

The company was also awarded 30 per cent of the RM1.5 billion contract for Phase 2 of the expressway from Jabur, near Kuantan, to probably Besut in Terengganu. The remaining 70 per cent will be tendered out to Bumiputera contractors soon.

Sources said while the Government paid for the expressway, MTD is allowed to collect toll because of a “barter arrangement” with the Government.

Being the concessionaire for the KL-Karak expressway, MTD Capital had struck a deal with the Government that it would not increase toll rate for the 60km highway at the rate stated in the concession agreement.

In return, MTD is allowed to collect at Phase 1 of the ECE for 28 years.

“The concessionaire agreed not to increase toll at the rate specified in the KL-Karak expressway concession agreement and the Government “compensates” the concessionaire by allowing it to collect toll from Karak-Kuantan instead of paying outright and immediate compensation,” sources said.

However, sources said, Phase 2 of the ECE may be toll-free considering that the Government is prepared to finance its construction.

[mams]

Possibility of graft in highway’s faulty design
Shahrum Sayuthi

KUANTAN, SEPT 30:

The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) is looking into the possibility of corruption being the cause for the faulty design of some stretches of the new East Coast Highway.
State ACA director Rahim Mustakain said the agency was "monitoring the issue" following the disclosure that the crash-prone stretch between Lanchang and Temerloh was not built according to proper specifications.

"It is not yet at the investigation level per se, but, nonetheless, I want you to know that we have assigned our officers to look into the matter," he said here today.

Rahim said that despite no report having been lodged against the highway concessionaires, MTD Capital Bhd, or any other party, the ACA had decided to go ahead with the probe as it was of public interest.

"We are checking on this matter because it has become a public issue. "It is part of our pro-active measures in instances where corruption may be involved," he said.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob had said yesterday that a traffic police study had revealed that the angle of "super elevation" at corners along the stretch between Km90 and Km126 of the highway was of insufficient height.
This, he said, could cause vehicles travelling at high speeds to "slide" and crash. He said MTD Capital had been instructed to correct the faulty design.

The first phase of the highway, covering 196km between Karak and Kuantan, was built at a cost of RM1.2 billion.

MTD Capital corporate communications manager Fazlyaton Husein declined to comment on the ACA probe, but said that the company had engaged the Malaysian Public Works Institute (Ikram) to conduct safety checks along the highway.

She said that based on its findings and recommendations, remedial action would be taken. A total of 108 crashes were recorded along the highway over the first 45 days since its opening on Aug 1, most of them due to drivers losing control of their vehicles.

Prior to the study, police had cited speeding as the main cause of the crashes.

They had also issued a total of 651 summonses for speeding over the same period.

Cross-winds, fog and animals crossing the highway were also cited as hazards. In Kuala Lumpur, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu confirmed that MTD Capital had engaged Ikram to carry out a profile study on the East Coast Highway.

On reports that a certain stretch of the highway was dangerous, Samy Vellu said motorists tended to speed at between 160kph and 170kph, which was beyond the speed limit allowed, in view of the smooth road surface. "As the drivers approach a bend and while trying to negotiate it, they lose control of their vehicles and suffer the consequences." Samy Vellu said his ministry would study Ikram's profile report once it was ready.

He gave an assurance that if there were any defects along the highway, the Government would request the concessionaire to remedy the situation.

[mams]

My experience on the journey through East Coast Highway...early in the morning. Lots of fogs but it was very good journey for me with all the great views.

KARAK Toll Plaza
http://img84.exs.cx/img84/7459/P9050529.jpg

http://img84.exs.cx/img84/2402/P9050530.jpg

[mams]

Drive through the fogs...have to drive slow as the visibility is very low.
http://img89.exs.cx/img89/348/P9050537.jpg

[mams]

MTD to repair unsatisfactory parts of East Coast Expressway
V.P. SUJATA of The Star

SUNGAI SIPUT: MTD Capital Bhd, the contractor for the East Coast Expressway from Karak to Kuantan, will undertake remedial work to improve the road standard of comfort.

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said a survey by Kumpulan IKRAM Sdn Bhd found only 82% of the road was of satisfactory riding comfort while the rest were "rough."

?The company will bear the full cost of the repair works and continue to rectify problems until July 2006," he told reporters after closing a Tamil choral speaking competition organised by the state education department here today.

He said the survey found a 31km-stretch from Lanchang to Temerloh to have unsatisfactory riding comfort quality under an international index.

[baqthier]

Lovely pics mams..i really missed passing by those tolls with those teeeeet sounds on the windscreen of friends car :)

The Star Online > News
Friday December 10, 2004
East Coast Expressway probe report sent to A-G

KUANTAN: The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) report on its probe into the East Coast Expressway has been submitted to the Attorney-General's Office.

“The report has been finalised and sent to Kuala Lumpur,” said state ACA director Rahim Mustakain at a Hari Raya gathering here yesterday.

The probe was initiated after Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob expressed concern that a 36km stretch from Lanchang to Temerloh lacked “super elevation,” causing vehicles to “slide.”

Rahim had said the probe would centre on the possibility that corruption was behind the alleged faulty design of some stretches of the expressway.

Rahim also said the state ACA arrested 18 people, eight of whom were policemen, for alleged corruption.

Among them were staff from the Community Development Division (Kemas), the Road Transport Department and the Education Department.