Wednesday June 30, 2010

New SKVE cuts travel time by 30 minutes

PETALING JAYA: The South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE) leading to Saujana Putra will officially be opened to motorists from tomorrow and will be toll-free for a month.

Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said the opening of tomorrow’s section would help reduce traffic congestion along the Damansara–Puchong Highway (LDP) heading towards Putrajaya.

“It is expected to cut peak hour travel time from the B15/LDP interchange to Bandar Saujana Putra or the Putra Heights area from 40 minutes to 10 minutes,” Shaziman said in his speech read by ministry secretary-general Datuk Thomas George who opened the second section, known as Section 1B yesterday.

The 51.7km dual-carriageway is divided into four sections and is expected to be completed by 2012.

The first 7.95km stretch that starts at the Uniten interchange in Bangi is toll free, and had been open for several years.

The Section 1B stretch which opens tomorrow is 12.04km long, and ends near the SKVE Saujana Putra interchange. It is a stone’s throw away from the Elite Highway that leads to Nilai, KLIA, USJ, Putrajaya and Shah Alam to name a few.

The third stretch heads towards Teluk Panglima Garang. It is 12.96km long and would be completed next year.

SKVE’s last stretch is 18.81km long and connects to Pulau Carey before ending near the Pulau Indah interchange, serving as a link between Putrajaya and Westport.

SKVE Holdings Sdn Bhd director Mohamad Nuhairi Datuk Paduka Rahmat said motorists would save travel time and cost on the expressway, with its nine strategic interchanges. It connects to areas such as Putrajaya, KLIA, the Sepang F1 Circuit, North South Expressway (NSE), Westport, the Kajang Silk Highway and the proposed West Coast Expressway, which links Banting and Taiping.

Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Datuk Ismail Md Salleh said the Government had yet to decide on the toll rate for the 12.04km stretch. Sources said the cost would be similar to the NSE, and estimated it to be around RM1.80 or less than RM2.

Shaziman also reminded all highway concessionaires that services rendered must be of quality and on par with toll charges, adding that LLM was in its final stages of studying the Multi-Lane Free Flow non-stop toll payment system.

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