Speed up work on West Coast Expressway

18-April-2023 | NST

Residents of Banting and Kuala Langat district hope that construction of the West Coast Expressway (WCE) will be expedited to ease congestion on the narrow Banting-Dengkil road.

LETTERS: Residents of Banting and Kuala Langat district hope that construction of the West Coast Expressway (WCE) will be expedited to ease congestion on the narrow Banting-Dengkil road.

The opening of the expressway. which spans 233km between Banting and Taiping. will ease traffic jams.

A couple of years ago, there was hectic construction at the Jalan Banting-Dengkil terminus of the WCE, with earthworks, the building of ramps and a bridge.

However, there is hardly any construction now as the highway concessionaire is possibly concentrating on other sections of the expressway.

Some stretches of the WCE have been opened to traffic over the last two years. The Banting-Klang stretch will disperse traffic, ease congestion and bring more revenue for the concessionaire.

Banting and the surrounding areas will experience a boost in industrial, commercial and residential development when the WCE is completed.

Even though the expressway is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024, some sections can be constructed faster to ease congestion now that the Covid-19 pandemic is over and the freeze on the intake of foreign workers has been lifted.

A lot of large-scale developments are awaiting the completion of the expressway.

There is a need to widen the Banting-Dengkil stretch in tandem with the WCE and not wait for a few years before doing so, as the stretch, which is near schools and several villages, is becoming unsafe and accident-prone.

The authorities also need to ensure that streetlights work as long stretches of roads are unlit at night, making it dangerous and risky.

GEORGE THOMAS
Banting, Selangor