New Route Bypassing Menora Tunnel to Reduce Risk of Accidents
The Perak state government has approved the construction of a 64 kilometers West Ipoh Span Expressway (WISE) from Gopeng to Kuala Kangsar, which will bypass the 800-meter Menora Tunnel on the North-South Expressway to reduce the rate of accidents in the state.
Perak Menteri Besar, YAB Dato’ Seri Saarani Mohamad said the state government supports the project as it is under private finance initiative and would not be using government funds. The expressway which involves a route through Gopeng with exit to Siputeh and linked to Kuala Kangsar, has also received the green light of the Cabinet. The new route would be slightly longer, but it would take users less time to travel as it avoids the hilly Keledang Range. More importantly, the project is said reduce the number of road accidents, which the Menora Tunnel has gained a bad reputation for.
East Coast Road Sdn Bhd is working closely with the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Public Private Partnership Unit and has received approval from the government since April, 2022.
Menteri Besar of Perak hoped that the project would reduce accidents at the current hotspot, as the proposed route is flat without hills and could ease traffic congestion. The gradient of less than 3% is more user friendly especially for heavy vehicles. The RM5.75 billion toll highway will be a dual three-lane carriageway with a dedicated motorcycle lane. It will also have three interchanges, at Gopeng, Siputeh and Kuala Kangsar, as well as four rest and service areas.
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