ISKANDAR PUTERI, March 31 — The North-South Expressway (PLUS) lane-expansion project will be extended to the Ayer Hitam exit from its original plan of Simpang Renggam, Deputy Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said.
There will be no additional costs involved in the extra 17-kilometre (km) expansion, which will bring the entire length of the project to 37km, he said, adding that the initial project of expanding the highway from four lanes to six lanes cost RM931 million for the stretch of road from Sedenak to Simpang Renggam.
“We are currently in the process of value assessment to extend the expansion as we can reach Ayer Hitam with such a large allocation, and the proeject is due to start this year,” he said at a media conference after visiting the Johor Public Works Department’s (JKR) mechanical engineering branch here today, with Johor JKR director Abu Bakar Abd Aziz in attendance.
Ahmad was responding to requests for comments on the expansion project’s development by media representatives.
The expansion project had been announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as part of the Budget 2024 in October last year. — Bernama
