Genting Sempah Third Tunnel and KL-Karak widening to finish in 2029
The RM2.1 billion project to build the third Genting Sempah tunnel and widen the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway will finish a year early, in 2029 instead of 2030.
Source: Kosmo! · August 20, 2026 at 5:29 AM · AI-assisted report
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KUALA LUMPUR, 20 AUGUST 2026 —
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The RM2.1 billion project to build the third Genting Sempah tunnel and widen the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway will finish a year early, in 2029 instead of 2030.
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Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the 45.3-kilometre upgrade from Gombak toll plaza to the Mempaga interchange will add a 999-metre tunnel using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method. The existing tunnels opened in 1978 and 1996 will remain in service.
Traffic on the highway has tripled since 1997, rising from about 41,000 vehicles a day to more than 170,000, he said at the ground-breaking ceremony for the third tunnel.
The expressway will widen from three to four lanes between Gombak and Genting Sempah, and from two to three lanes from Genting Sempah to Bentong. Safety upgrades include LED street lights, paved shoulders on bridges, sharper curve alignments and smart systems such as CCTV, variable-message signs, air-quality monitors and incident-detection sensors.
Kumpulan AFA chairman Tan Sri Azmil Khalid said contractors are working the entire corridor at once, not in stages, with clear completion targets. “We build along the whole route simultaneously,” he said. “Every team has a firm deadline, so we can track progress.” The tunnel itself should be done in about two years, he added.
Related: Genting · Kuala Lumpur