Infrastructure Weekly | 19 – 25 May 2025
A green-smart expressway, bridge and water-supply boosts in East Malaysia, and Canada’s deep-geological repository headline an infrastructure-heavy week.
Infrastructure Weekly | 19 – 25 May 2025
A green-smart expressway, bridge and water-supply boosts in East Malaysia, and Canada’s deep-geological repository headline an infrastructure-heavy week.
Malaysia’s project pipeline accelerated on several fronts this week. Kuala Lumpur revived a once-scrapped highway extension with full private financing, Sarawak celebrated bridge and treated-water milestones that unlock rural growth, and Negeri Sembilan kicked off a vast industrial park that anchors MVV 2.0. At the policy table, Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) turned up the heat on the Works Ministry over the long-promised multi-lane free-flow (MLFF) tolling system. Beyond our borders, Canada selected an integrated-project-delivery (IPD) team for a multibillion-dollar nuclear-waste repository—an instructive model for complex, high-risk builds.
Feature Story – New Pantai Expressway (NPE) Extension Gets Green Light
Twelve years after it was shelved, IJM Corp has secured federal approval to build a RM1.4 b, 15 km fully elevated extension of the New Pantai Expressway. Construction starts in Q3 2025 and finishes in 2029, linking Pantai Dalam Toll Plaza to Jalan Istana via Jalan Syed Putra. The link will connect three major corridors—NPE, Besraya and the upcoming SUKE-Like expressway—diverting an estimated 40 % of traffic off congested Jalan Bangsar. Funded entirely by the concessionaire, the scheme adds MLFF gantries, EV-fast-charge lay-bys and energy-efficient lighting while freezing current toll rates until concession expiry. The project is forecast to inject RM5.6 b in multiplier effects and dovetails with Kuala Lumpur’s Traffic Master Plan 2040.
On the Ground – Project Snapshots
Update Sarawak completes four landmark bridges – The Marudi, Muara Lassa, Bintulu-Jepak and Batang Rajang bridges all reached practical completion on 19 May, vastly shortening river-crossing times and unlocking agro-tourism potential along the coastal trunk. State leaders hailed the programme as proof that rural-urban connectivity targets are on track.
Bayong Water Treatment Plant Upgrade delivered – Sarikei’s Bayong plant Phase 2B (RM68.4 m) is now online, boosting capacity from 70 MLD to 100 MLD and adding a new 30 MLD module, raw-water intake and 28 km of pipelines. The upgrade secures supply for fast-growing Tanjung Manis and Belawai.
Eco Business Park 7 breaks ground in MVV 2.0 – EcoWorld, SD Guthrie and NS Corp finalised a JV to develop EBP 7, a 1,195-acre smart industrial park in Port Dickson worth RM2.95 b GDV. Design integrates green factories, rail spurs and access to the proposed Nilai–Labu Expressway, supporting the New Industrial Master Plan 2030.
ASEAN Summit road closures – PLUS and police announced phased closures of six highways and 25 trunk roads from 23–28 May to secure delegate convoys. Operators urge commuters to reroute or use rail, providing a live rehearsal for large-scale traffic-management protocols ahead of 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
Policy Watch – PAC Triggers MLFF Reality Check
During a 20 May sitting, the Public Accounts Committee ordered the Works Ministry and the Malaysian Highway Authority to produce a cost–benefit re-analysis of the RM3.46 b MLFF programme, warning that the RFID-based system alone will not cure toll-plaza congestion. The PAC also pressed for a clear funding model and an implementation masterplan before any further outlays. Concessionaires and tech vendors should expect tighter scrutiny of throughput assumptions and integration costs before MLFF gantries move from pilot to nationwide roll-out.
International Perspective – Canada Awards CA$4.5 b Nuclear-Waste Repository
On 19 May, Canada’s Nuclear Waste Management Organisation named Kiewit (construction) and WSP (design) to deliver a CA$4.5 b (RM15.7 b) deep-geological repository in north-western Ontario. Using an integrated project delivery approach, the team will co-locate with the client and First-Nations regulators to engineer 2.5 km of subsurface caverns 600–800 m below ground, isolating spent fuel for 175 years. The IPD model, long-term lifecycle costing, and Indigenous-led approvals process offer reference points for Malaysia’s own discussions on nuclear energy, waste stewardship and collaborative contracting.
Next Steps
NPE Extension – IJM to issue design-and-build sub-tenders for piers and MLFF gantries by August.
MVV 2.0 – Negeri Sembilan to table road-linking and utility-backbone packages for EBP 7 in Q4.
PAC MLFF review – Look for the Works Ministry’s revised MLFF business case and deployment timeline before the Dewan Rakyat’s July sitting.
See you next week for more insights shaping Malaysia’s built environment.