Kajang–Seremban Highway

The Kajang–Seremban Highway, commonly referred to as the LEKAS Highway or KASEH (Malay: Lebuhraya Kajang–Seremban), is a key expressway in Malaysia that connects Kajang in Selangor to Seremban in Negeri Sembilan.

Speed limits along the highway vary depending on specific sections of the route. For example, certain stretches, such as those between Kajang Perdana and Kajang South, as well as between Setul and Paroi, are restricted to 80 km/h (50 mph). In contrast, most other segments of the highway permit a maximum speed of up to 110 km/h (68 mph).

Overview

With a total length of , the Kajang–Seremban Highway traverses through Semenyih, Pajam, Mantin, and Temiang. The expressway connects to the Seremban Inner Ring Road. It helps redistribute traffic flow from other heavily congested expressways, including the North–South Expressway Southern Route and the Kuala Lumpur–Seremban Expressway.

The highway project has progressed through multiple stages of completion:

*Package 1A: SILK Interchange to Kajang South – completed and opened to the public.
*Package 1B: Kajang South Interchange to Pajam Interchange – earthworks and major drainage completed.
*Packages 2A and 3: Pajam Interchange to Paroi – land acquisitions completed; a segment between Mantin and Setul Interchanges approved for realignment.

Route background

The Kilometer Zero of the expressway starts from Exit 1804 of the Kajang Perdana Interchange, which connects the expressway with Kajang Dispersal Link Expressway (E18) and the Kajang Bypass near Kajang, Selangor.

History

The LEKAS Highway project was approved by the Malaysian government in 1997. Construction commenced in 2002 but faced delays due to financial challenges encountered by the original concessionaire, Kajang–Seremban Highway Sdn. Bhd. (KASEH). In November 2006, the project resumed under a new concessionaire, Lebuhraya Kajang-Seremban Sdn. Bhd. (LEKAS), a joint venture between IJM Corporation Berhad and KASEH, with 50% of the stakes held by IJM Corporation Berhad and the other half held by the original concessionaire. It was scheduled for completion by December 2009.IJM Acquires 50 Percent Stake In Lekas
Bernama

Phase 1 of the expressway connecting Kajang South to Pajam was officially opened on 23 August 2008. The main subcontractor was WCT, which then subcontracted the beam manufacturing to Mudajaya. In order to allow users to familiarize themselves with it, the expressway was operated toll-free for a month.

The expressway system was extended with the opening of Mantin toll plaza on 31 December 2008. The main subcontractor was WCT, and the beam manufacturer was Mudajaya. The extended route was toll-free until 30 January 2009.

On 1 March 2010, the Setul and Ampangan Interchange was opened for traffic.

Features

*Six-lane carriageway from Kajang to Setul
*Medium to high-speed limits of 80km/h (Kajang Perdana–Kajang South and Setul–Paroi) and 110 km/h (all other sections)
*A SOS emergency phone
*The Setul toll plaza is the highest toll plaza in Malaysia, located 258 meters above sea level atop Gunung Mantin-Seremban

Notable events

Pajam incident

On 27 September 2007, at around 11:45 pm, eight massive I-20 beams (each weighing close to 70 tonnes) collapsed at BR 7 (approximately Ch.16,400), about a kilometer from the Pajam Interchange. There were no casualties recorded. In the three months following the incident, the contractor constructed a 4km public by-pass road circumnavigating the BR 7 launch site, from the Federal Route FT3265 to the Pajam Interchange, then onto the Pajam Toll Plaza, and coming out again at FT3265 nearer to the town of Nilai, recast the eight I-20 beams, and then r-launched them. There were no public funds involved in the repair work, and all costs were borne by the contractor
The BR 7 is now in service and is part of the LEKAS Highway.

Other events

*17 April 2010 – Achik Spin (real name Abdillah Murad Md Shari), singer of the Malaysian rock band Spin, died in a car accident on the Kajang–Seremban Highway near Pajam, Negeri Sembilan.
*3 May 2020 – At around 2:11 am, Koperal Safwan Muhammad Ismail, aged 31, died when he crashed into an OP COVID-19 roadblock near the Kajang Selatan toll plaza.

Toll systems

As part of an initiative to facilitate faster transactions at all toll plazas, all toll transactions on the Kajang–Seremban Highway have been conducted electronically via Touch 'n Go cards or SmartTAG since 2 March 2016. This is the first closed toll expressway to phase out from the closed toll system.

Toll rates

''(Since 1 January 2023)''

Between Kajang Selatan and Setul toll plazas

Ampangan toll plaza

List of interchanges

References

External links

IJMLEKAS

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kajang-Seremban Highway
2008 establishments in Malaysia
Expressways in Malaysia