Here’s some good news for those who frequent towns on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Section 5 of the West Coast Expressway (WCE) has now opened, connecting the New North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB, or Shapadu Highaway) and the Bandar Bukit Raja (North) elevated intersection.

The 9.7 km stretch is the first out of seven sections in Selangor, and will make it easy for those traveling to Kapar from Shah Alam, vice versa. The stretch was opened by Malaysian Highway Authority director-general Datuk Mohd Shuhaimi Hassan at the new WCE management office in Bandar Bukit Raja this week.

Prior to this, the WCE was opened in stages in Perak. Back in May, the the Hutan Melintang to Teluk Intan stretch welcomed motorists, followed by the stretch from Kampung Lekir to Beruas in September.

There are 12 sections of the 233 km coastal highway that will connect Banting in Selangor to Taiping in Perak – five in Perak and seven in Selangor. Eleven of the WCE’s 21 interchanges are in Perak and 10 are in Selangor. The RM5.04 billion project is currently 71% complete.

-paultan