SEREMBAN, Oct 25 — The widening works on the North-South Highway (PLUS) involving the stretches from North Nilai to Port Dickson exit and new Klang Valley highway from Shah Alam to Rawang and Jalan Duta, spanning 63 kilometres is 30 percent complete so far.    

PLUS Expressways Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Noorizah Abd Hamid said the works were started end of last year and expected to be completed end of 2014.

"So far the widening project is 30 per cent complete and will be 40 per cent by end of this year. However, Package C involving Sungai Buluh to Rawang is expected to be ready in Feb 2015," she said after attending a gotong royong programme in conjunction with the PLUS community day at the Orang Asli settlement in Kampung Tekir, Labu here today.  

She said the entire project was estimated between RM1.6 to RM1.8 billion and the cost was high due to the numerous traffic management that was required.  

"We're widening the roads with existing traffic on them, so we have to ensure it is safe. So the cost of traffic management is very high," she said.

Meanwhile, she said PLUS will construct another interchange, five kilometres from the existing Seremban interchange.

"There's no space around the existing Seremban interchange for upgrading.

The space is also limited. So we'll build a new one to ease congestion," she said. 

Commenting on the community programme, she said it was among the company's community service programmes sponsored simultaneously at 25 locations nationwide.

PLUS also donated a grass cutting machine to the village. — Bernama