KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Construction is expected to start over the next 18 months on six tolled highways — including the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) and the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) — worth an estimated total of RM20 billion.

Citing unnamed sources, The Star reported that two of the six proposed highways — the RM5.04 billion West Coast Expressway (WCE) and the RM1.18 billion extension of the Duta-Ulu Kelang Expressway or Duke, have achieved funding, indicating that work on the project is to start within months.

The other highways being firmed up are the RM2.42 billion Kidex project, the RM4.18 billion Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang elevated expressway (Suke), the RM4.3 billion Damansara-Shah Alam Expressway (Dash) and Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd’s EKVE.

“The construction works for all the highways should be up and running by next year,” a construction industry official was quoted as saying.

The news report added that a lack of resources and lower margins may render some of these upcoming projects less profitable.

The official said that only big players like Gamuda Bhd and IJM Corp Bhd, who are frontrunners for jobs like the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line 2 and the West Coast Expressway (WCE) jobs will be obvious beneficiaries, while mid-tier players such as WCT Holdings Bhd, Gadang Holdings Bhd, Bina Puri Holding Bhd, TRC Synergy Bhd, Mitrajaya Holdings Bhd, Kimlun Corp Bhd will struggle to reap the benefits from the projects.

The expansion of Duke is expected to add two more links to Sri Damansara and Jalan Tun Razak by 2016.

Dash is estimated to cost RM4.18 billion. Its route will begin from Puncak Perdana U10 off Jalan Batu Arang and terminates at the Penchala Link with access to both the Sprint Highway and the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP).

The RM4.3 billion Suke is a proposed 31.8km, elevated three-lane carriageway that will begin from the Sri Petaling Interchange (near the Bukit Jalil Stadium) and will run through Sungai Besi and Alam Damai.

The paper also quoted sources as saying that Kidex should be achieving financial close "very soon". The 14.9km proposed super-elevated highway will use bank loans for 80 per cent of the total project cost, while the other 20 per cent will be through internal funding via the developer- Kidex Sdn Bhd.

There have been growing calls by local residents for the Kidex and EKVE to be scrapped. A lack of publicly-available information regarding the Kidex and concerns of compulsory home acquisition for the highway is fueling opposition to the road plan.

In the case of the EKVE, environmental activists are scrambling to rally the public in submitting objections to the opening up of four forest reserves in Selangor to make way for the 38.1km-long highway.

The state has proposed to degazette portions of the Ampang, Bukit Seputeh, Ulu Gombak and Ulu Langat forest reserves to make way for the EKVE.