PETALING JAYA, Aug 24 — WCE Holdings Bhd is evaluating the viability of extending the West Coast Expressway (WCE) to Gelang Patah, Johor, amid concerns over rising construction and land acquisition costs.
Its chief executive officer Lyndon Alfred Felix said the company is awaiting details from the government on the proposed link, including its technical specifications, funding structure, and alignment, before it conducts an assessment.
He said the proposal must be evaluated objectively despite its potential benefits to WCE Holdings, especially in bringing additional traffic to the existing highway.
“Right now, we are still waiting for the government to provide the full details.
“A lot of people can get very excited (about the proposed) extension; that it’s going to benefit WCE, but we need to look at it really objectively,” he told reporters after WCE Holdings’ annual general meeting at Crystal Plaza here today.
He added that without sufficient government support to address construction and land acquisition concerns, the risks could be too high for WCE Holdings, saying: “At this stage, we do not have enough information to really do a full detailed study.”
On April 9, the government was reportedly planning to explore two highway megaprojects under a privatisation model, including a proposed 303.5km southern link for the WCE from Banting to Gelang Patah.
The other project is a 118.7km road linking Simpang Pelangai in Pahang to Putrajaya.
