Earlier this week, an opposition lawmaker has recommended that the federal government shut the Gombak and Karak toll plazas on the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (KLK) and East Coast Expressway (ECE) to ease congestion. The proposal has since been emphatically shot down by works minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, in response to the New Straits Occasions.

Talking on the opening of part 5 of the Raub bypass on the Central Backbone Street (CSR) yesterday, Nanta Linggi stated such a transfer to abolish tolls on the Karak and ECE highways would incur higher prices for street upkeep, which the federal government must bear.

“In the mean time, we’ve got no plans to abolish the tolls,” he stated. “We’d like the [toll] funds for freeway upkeep and to make sure the security of street customers. If the tolls are abolished, the federal government must safe funds to keep up the freeway and plan upkeep works. A scarcity of funds will jeopardise [maintaining the highways].”

Nanta Linggi’s remarks have been in response to PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who urged the federal government to shut the Gombak and Karak toll plazas as they have been inflicting congestion. The Kubang Kerian MP advised the Dewan Rakyat on Monday that motorists needed to cross 4 toll plazas (together with Bentong and their respective exit factors) when they need to solely cross by means of two.

Except for confirming the federal government has no plans for closing the aforementioned toll plazas, Nanta Linggi additionally stated there have been no discussions relating to the implementation of an open fee toll assortment system on the Karak freeway.

When requested whether or not the federal government would take into account implementing the system to ease congestion, significantly throughout weekends and public holidays, he stated: “Open fee has not been mentioned. Open fee on the KLK must be studied, and if there’s a want, it needs to be fine-tuned.”

Nanta Linggi stated he can even advise freeway concessionaires to not perform upkeep work throughout peak and festive seasons. “Final yr, earlier than the [Hari Raya] Aidilfitri celebration, I went to the Gombak toll plaza and issued directions. Concessionaire corporations should not perform works that require lanes to be closed throughout peak and festive seasons. Doing upkeep works throughout heavy site visitors solely causes congestion, but when work needs to be carried out, it may be completed at one other time.”

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