The Ministry of Works (KKR) is awaiting the consideration and approval of allocation from the Ministry of Economy and Ministry of Finance for the construction of the Lingkaran Tengah Utama (LTU) expressway route from Karak to Simpang Pelangai.

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad said the application involved an allocation of RM987 million for the construction of the 35-kilometre (km) route.

"At the KKR level, everything has been completed, including providing the alignment design of the route starting from the East Coast Expressway (LPT).

"Once the allocation is approved, construction will begin and we expect it to take between three and five years to be completed,” he told reporters after he and the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for the Pelangai state by-election, Datuk Amizar Abu Adam, met voters in Kampung Shafie here today.

The LTU, formerly known as the Central Spine Road (CSR), connecting Kuala Krai in Kelantan and the LPT interchange in Bentong, is under construction and expected to be fully completed in 2026.

Abdul Rahman said the construction of the LTU was among the development projects which former Pelangai assemblyman, the late Datuk Seri Johari Harun, wanted for the well-being of the people there.

Johari, 53, was among the 10 people who were killed in a plane crash in Shah Alam, Selangor on Aug 17.

According to Abdul Rahman, Johari, who was then the Pahang Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman, frequently contacted him for updates on the LTU construction.

"Although he is gone, I hope this project will go on, (and) the relevant ministry will consider and approve it, not just to continue the efforts and aspirations of the late Johari, but more than that to ensure it benefits the people of Pelangai,” he said.

The Oct 7 Pelangai state by-election will see a three-cornered fight between Amizar, Kasim Samat (Perikatan Nasional) and independent candidate Haslihelmy DM Zulhasli.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency