Malaysia's new expressway plans

The 3491 Malaysian Government is giving its approval for a new expressway project. The road link will be built by West Coast Expressway (WCE) and is expected to cost in the order of US$2.32 billion. The West Coast Expressway project will be handled under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model and will feature a 60-year concession package. The road will run for 316km and will link Taiping in Perak with Banting in Selangor Some 224km of the expressway will be tolled while the remaining will be toll-free. A government support loan (GSL) will help WCE commence work on the project with the funds being supplied in stages from 2013. Until full payment of the GSL, toll revenue of the project will be divided into 30:70 between the firm and the government. After settlement of the loan, the revenue ratio will be reversed. Construction work on the expressway will be carried out through an open tender process. 4213 Kumpulan Europlus owns 64.2% stake in WCE.