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64-701: The East Coast Expressway serves as the high-speed alternative to the existing federal routes 2 and 3 , which it parallels. The East Coast Expressway begins from the eastern end of the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway at Karak , Pahang , then runs through Lanchang , Mentakab , Temerloh , Chenor , Maran , Sri Jaya , Gambang , Kuantan , Jabur , Cheneh , Chukai , Kijal , Kerteh , Paka , Dungun , Bukit Besi , Ajil and Telemong, ending in Kampung Gemuruh near Kuala Nerus in Terengganu . This

128-501: A controlled-access highway by replacing the former at-grade intersection with grade-separated interchanges , making the highway as the nation's first controlled-access expressway. The upgraded controlled-access highway is now known as the Federal Highway Route 2. In the 1970s, a replacement segment for the narrow and winding section from Kuala Lumpur to Karak (known as Jalan Gombak ) was constructed. The replacement section

192-614: A case involving a pregnant female tiger . The spate of accidents had prompted certain quarters to allege that LPT2 had uneven roads, putting motorists at risk. For the first few months in operation, motorists had to sign out at the Jabor toll plaza to pay the toll fare up until Jabor, before making a loop and entering the LPT2. Since July 2015 though, the Malaysian Highway Authority had taken responsibility for toll collection of LPT2 until

256-516: A result, some maps labelled the expressway as E8 and some other maps labelled the expressway as federal route 2. On 7 April 2011, ANIH Berhad became the concession holder after taking over operations from MTD Prime Sdn Bhd and Metramac Corporation Sdn Bhd. The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway using opened toll system. As part of an initiative to facilitate faster transaction at the Gombak and Bentong Toll Plazas, all toll transactions at both toll plazas on

320-632: A result, the FT5 concurrents with the FT2 along Jambatan Kota before the FT5 route is diverted to Jalan Kapar FT5 at Simpang Tujuh Roundabout Interchange. The FT2 highway becomes a controlled-access expressway starting from Berkeley Roundabout Interchange to Seputeh Interchange, where the controlled-access section is popularly known as the Federal Highway Route 2. The section of the Federal Highway FT2 from Berkeley Roundabout Interchange to Subang Airport Interchange

384-553: A subsidiary of PLUS, was reportedly appointed to manage the highway. The Terengganu state government had reportedly requested that toll collection be postponed until after the 2016 Hari Raya celebrations in July 2016. Toll collections by LPT2 Sdn. Bhd. formally began on 15 July, when the new toll rates were announced. For example, a trip from Gombak to Kuala Terengganu now costs RM 52.80. Phase 3 will connect from Kampung Gemuruh (near Kuala Terengganu) to Kota Bharu and Tumpat , just before

448-595: Is later diverted to Jalan Gombak FT2/FT68 at Setapak Interchange. At Kampung Bandar Dalam Intersection, the FT2 route is once again diverted to Jalan Kampung Bandar Dalam FT2, while Jalan Gombak changes its route number to FT68. At Kampung Bandar Dalam Interchange, the FT2 concurrents with Duta–Ulu Klang Expressway E33/FT2 to Taman Greenwood, Batu Caves , then it concurrents with the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (KL MRR2) FT28 from Taman Greenwood to Gombak North Interchange, before once again concurrents with

512-539: Is the responsibility of ANIH Berhad. Despite the different concessionaires, the Jabor–Kuala Terengganu stretch is administratively the same expressway as the Gombak–Jabor stretch, having the same route number, E8. LPT2 is almost parallel to Highway 14 , save for the stretch between Kijal and Bukit Besi, where the expressway veered closer to the coast. Since opening, LPT2 has seen a number of fatal accidents, and

576-617: Is the second longest expressway in Peninsular Malaysia , after the North-South Expressway Northern Route . The construction of an expressway from Karak to Kuala Terengganu was first announced in 1994 at the time when the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway was being upgraded from the former 2-lane highway to a full expressway. At that time, the original concessionaire company of the expressway project

640-605: The Federal Route 5 ) and Persiaran Raja Muda Musa, where almost all sections of the Kuala Lumpur–Klang Highway are built as a divided highway except the short section from Port Klang Interchange to Port Klang jetty. The Kilometre Zero of the Federal Route 2 is located at Port Klang , Selangor . At the town centre of Klang , the FT2 highway intersects with Jalan Langat FT5 at Simpang Lima Roundabout Interchange. As

704-718: The Kuala Lumpur Hospital , and counted along Jalan Pahang and Jalan Gombak . The Gombak toll plaza is located at the 19th kilometer, close to the International Islamic University Malaysia . The Karak Expressway is almost parallel to the old Gombak–Bentong road 68, crossing some villages in the Gombak constituency, before crossing the Selangor–Pahang border at the Genting Sempah Tunnel . Exits to Genting Highlands are built at both ends of

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768-735: The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2 for its entire length. At the end of the Karak Expressway at Karak Interchange, the Federal Route 2 is diverted as an ordinary 2-lane federal road while the Karak Expressway proceeds as the East Coast Expressway . The Federal Route 2 overlaps again at Kuantan with the Federal Route 3 . The eastern terminus of the Federal Route 2 is at the Kuantan Port , where it meets

832-794: The Malayan Communist Party terrorists during the Malayan Emergency . Construction began in 1925 and was completed in 1955. In 1971, the old Temerloh Bridge spanning across the Pahang River was collapsed due to the huge flood in Temerloh. As a result, the Public Works Department (JKR) constructed a 575-m replacement bridge known as the Sultan Ahmad Shah Bridge FT2 beside the old bridge. The Sultan Ahmad Shah Bridge

896-580: The Bentong–Temerloh section in 1928. The Kuala Lumpur–Kuantan Road FT2 was concluded in 1955 when the final section from Temerloh to Maran was opened to traffic on 11 June 1955. The final section took a very long time to be completed due to rainy season, huge floods and swampy region, as well as the advances of the Imperial Japanese Army during the Second World War and the activities of

960-582: The East Coast Expressway E8 as the first expressway route in Malaysia to be operated by two different concessionaire. The toll rate of the second phase of the expressway will be pegged to the rate of the first phase. On 7 July 2015, the Jabor temporary toll plaza was demolished to make way for the non-stop toll operation along the ECE2 E8 to avoid congestion caused by the temporary toll plaza. The operation of

1024-554: The East Coast Expressway was opened in stages. The sections from Telemung to Kuala Terengganu and Ajil–Bukit Besi were the earliest sections being opened to motorists on 22 August 2011, followed by Ajil–Telemung section on 18 May 2012, Bukit Besi–Paka section on 25 January 2014, and Jabor–Cheneh section on 22 July 2014. When completed, the East Coast Expressway E8 Phase 2 will become a toll expressway that enjoys

1088-628: The Federal Route 3. Before the advent of the Swettenham Parkway (now Sultan Iskandar Highway) which is now a part of the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 1 (KL MRR1), the FT2 road overlapped with Jalan Kinabalu FT1 and Jalan Kuching FT1 from Kinabalu Roundabout Interchange to PWTC Interchange, where the FT2 was detoured to Jalan Tun Razak and Jalan Pahang. However, after the completion of the Kuala Lumpur–Petaling Jaya Traffic Dispersal Scheme in 1983 that extended

1152-516: The Jabor temporary toll plaza, in order to proceed to Kuala Terengganu. On the other hand, the ticket from the Jabor temporary toll plaza can be used within the entire length of the ECE1 E8. On 20 April 2015, it was announced that PLUS Malaysia Berhad , the operator of the North–South Expressway , will be operating the second phase of the East Coast Expressway E8 starting from August 2015, making

1216-696: The KL MRR1 to Jalan Istana Interchange that linked the MRR1 with Jalan Syed Putra FT2, the FT2 ceased to concurrent with the FT1 and was detoured to Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar (formerly Lebuhraya Mahameru ) instead. The Federal Route 2 begins as part of the earliest trunk road to Kuantan , Pahang from Benta, where the road was constructed as an extension of the Kuala Kubu Road from Kuala Kubu Bharu , Selangor to Kuala Lipis , Pahang. The 80-mile Kuala Kubu Road, which now becomes

1280-494: The Kuala Lumpur–Klang Highway FT2 was opened to traffic on 14 January 1959. The highway was intended as a replacement of the existing road system known as Jalan Klang Lama , Persiaran Selangor, Jalan Sungai Rasau and Jalan Batu Tiga Lama, allowing speeds of up to 60 mph. As a result, Jalan Klang Lama was downgraded into Selangor State Road B14. The Kuala Lumpur–Klang Highway FT2 was later being upgraded into

1344-458: The alternative for both Federal Route 3 and Jerangau–Jabor Highway FT14 . The construction of the second phase of the East Coast Expressway E8 began in 2006 as a result of the Barisan Nasional takeover of Terengganu state government from PAS during the 2004 general election . Unlike the first phase of the expressway where MTD Group became the only contractor (and concessionaire company), MTD

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1408-610: The backbone of the road system linking the east and west coasts of Peninsula Malaysia before being surpassed by the East Coast Expressway E8. The Federal Route 2 is divided into two sections – Kuala Lumpur–Klang Highway (Malay: Jalan Kuala Lumpur–Klang ) and Kuala Lumpur–Kuantan Road (Malay: Jalan Kuala Lumpur–Kuantan ), where both sections are connected at Kuala Lumpur . The Kuala Lumpur–Klang Highway consists of Jalan Syed Putra, Federal Highway Route 2 , Persiaran Sultan Ibrahim, Jalan Jambatan Kota (also concurrents with

1472-415: The border with Pahang . The section between Bentong and Karak is the sole route from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan and vice versa, as Jalan Gombak , which serves as the toll-free alternative for the expressway, ends at Ketari, Bentong. At Karak, route 2 splits off, heading southeast towards the town proper while the expressway heads northeast to meet the East Coast Expressway . Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway

1536-568: The border with Thailand . Phase 3 will cover 124 kilometers. Two routes, one taking the coastal route and the other passing through Gua Musang constituency in southern Kelantan will be explored. The project had been included in the Eleventh Malaysia Plan ( Rancangan Malaysia Ke-11 , RMK 11). Phase 4 will connect from Gambang to Johor Bahru via Malaysia Federal Route 3 . Phase 4 will cover 250 kilometers. The construction of this section has not started yet for various reasons. Since it

1600-500: The concession agreement was finalised. Following this, motorists are no longer required to sign out at Jabor, and they can pay the toll fare at the LPT2 toll plazas. Pending the finalization of the concession agreement, the toll fare was calculated until Jabor for the time being, effectively making the Jabor–Kuala Terengganu stretch free of charge. The concession agreement was signed with PLUS in April 2016, and Lebuhraya Pantai Timur 2 Sdn. Bhd.,

1664-504: The construction costs further. On 7 April 2011, MTD Group's toll road divisions, MTD Prime Sdn. Bhd. and Metramac Corporation Sdn. Bhd., were spun off to form ANIH Berhad after taking over the operations of Toll Concession from the concessionaire companies who respectively owned the concessions for Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway , East Coast Expressway Phase 1, and Kuala Lumpur–Seremban Expressway (including East–West Link Expressway ), with effect from 6 December 2011. The second phase of

1728-434: The construction of the second tunnel beside the existing Genting Sempah Tunnel for eastbound traffic. The upgrade works began in 1994 by MTD Prime and was completed in 1998. However, only 60 km of the 75-km highway forms the present-day Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2; the remaining 15 km forms a part of the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 (KL MRR2) FT28 and Duta–Ulu Klang Expressway E33. The construction of

1792-410: The cost of the construction of this highway was considered as expensive for Malaysia which at that time was an agricultural country. Therefore, the government decided to make Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway as a toll road to help cover all the construction works. As a result, two toll gates were constructed at Gombak and Bentong and the toll road was administered under Malaysian Highway Authority . The highway

1856-456: The delay and the increase of construction costs was attributed to the change of the construction model from being a toll-free federal highway to a toll expressway. Meanwhile, MTD Group claimed that the huge flood in Terengganu in 2009 that submerged some sections of the expressway had forced them to redesign the expressway, including the construction of higher viaducts in flood-prone areas, adding

1920-461: The effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis , hence nullifying the former concession agreement. The first delay of the project became a controversial issue nationwide. The Prime Minister at that time, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad , announced that all expressway projects at that time to be postponed, claiming that Malaysians were not ready to pay tolls to enjoy higher-quality highways. After the state governments of Pahang, Terengganu and Johor pleaded to

1984-501: The entire expressway is 110 km/h except at Exit 813B Karak Interchange (90 km/h) and Karak Toll Plaza (60 km/h). Legend: Malaysia Federal Route 2 The Federal Route 2 is a major east–west oriented federal highway in Malaysia. The 276.9 kilometres (172 mi) road connects Port Klang in Selangor to Kuantan Port in Pahang . The Federal Route 2 became

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2048-532: The entire section of the Federal Routes 55 and parts of Federal Route 218 and 8 , was constructed by the Public Works Department (JKR) in 1887. The Benta–Kuantan Road, which now forms the entire section of the Federal Route 64 (Benta–Maran) and a part of the Federal Route 2 from Maran to Kuantan, was constructed in 1915. The Kuala Lumpur–Bentong section was constructed at the same time, followed by

2112-485: The entry and exit point. The current terminus of this system lies on Karak toll plaza westbound and Kuala Terengganu eastbound. Although the two section has different operators, both has their toll collection integrated between each other. Rates below is for furthest possible journey along the current closed toll system between Karak and Kuala Terengganu. The entire expressway was built as a 4-lane divided expressway with two lanes for each carriageways. The speed limit for

2176-471: The expressway has developed a reputation for being haunted (Example The Legend of The Volkswagen Kuning In English it means Yellow Volkswagen) (see List of reportedly haunted highways ). The expressway begins at Gombak , Selangor and its interchange with the Kuala Lumpur Middle Ring Road 2 . Next, the expressway passes the Titiwangsa Range and the Genting Sempah Tunnel towards Genting Sempah at

2240-449: The expressway sign out at the desired toll plaza and will be charged according to distance and type of vehicle. Just after the Temerloh exit, spanning the Pahang River is a bridge , designed with elephant tusk motifs, in a nod to the emblem of Pahang . The expressway continues to Maran , Gambang and then the state capital Kuantan . The Sungai Lembing road 231 connects Exit 833 of

2304-518: The expressway to downtown Kuantan. Further north, just after crossing the border into Terengganu, there is the Gebeng Bypass 101 which serves as a shortcut to Kuantan Port . The first phase of the expressway ends at Jabur , at the Pahang – Terengganu border, which also serves as the Limit of Maintenance Responsibility for ANIH Berhad . Beyond Jabor, PLUS takes over. Fully operational by January 2015,

2368-419: The expressway was RM4.6 billion before being reduced to RM4.26 billion for the entire section from Karak to Kuala Terengganu. Due to the very high cost, MTD Group and MRCB withdrew from the consortium, leaving Pelita to do the job alone. The concession contract between Pelita and the government was signed on 9 September 1998; however, there was no sign of any construction works by the original concessionaire due to

2432-551: The extension of the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2, known as the East Coast Expressway , was first announced in 1994 when the expressway itself was still under upgrading works. Initially, the East Coast Expressway was supposed to be constructed under a different route number by a consortium consisting MMC Corporation Berhad (through its subsidiary, Projek Lebuhraya Timur Sdn. Bhd. (Pelita)), MTD Group and Malaysian Resource Corporation Berhad ( MRCB ), but

2496-449: The federal government not to delay the expressway projects, the federal government agreed to go on with the East Coast Expressway project. In order to resume the expressway project, the federal government decided to fund the expressway project themselves and once again approached MTD Group as the new concessionaire company for the East Coast Expressway. A letter of intention was sent by the federal government to MTD Group on 1 March 2000, and

2560-415: The first phase from Karak to Kuantan, as the new state government of Terengganu led by Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) who took over the state from Barisan Nasional during the 1999 General Election , strongly opposed the toll collection of the expressway and insisted on building their own version of the East Coast Expressway without toll collection. The abolishment of toll collection in Terengganu became

2624-467: The junction for the opposite direction of the expressway. The expressway has two separate carriageway at Genting Sempah in Selangor–Pahang border (one for Selangor side and one for Pahang side) due to their geographical locations. The upgrade works of the expressway was completed in 1997. MTD Prime held the concession to operate the expressway. The expressway acquired its official route number, E8, at completion, which resulted in overlapping route numbers. As

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2688-481: The longest toll-free period in Malaysia for 3 years. On 31 January 2015, all sections of the Jabur–Kuala Terengganu of the East Coast Expressway has now opened to traffic. During toll free period at ECE2 (Terengganu section), motorists coming from Kuala Lumpur must exit the expressway at Jabor interchange, make a U-turn after paying toll and collect a transit card at Jabor toll plaza, which will be returned at

2752-450: The new concession contract was signed on 17 January 2001. MTD Group was chosen as the new concessionaire company for being able to offer the lowest construction cost for the expressway project. The construction of the East Coast Expressway began in October 2000 through MTD Capital Sdn Bhd using acquired land costing RM29.2 billion. However, the construction of the expressway was only limited to

2816-516: The primary manifesto of PAS during the election. On the other hand, the Minister of Works at that time, Datuk Seri Samy Vellu insisted that toll collection was needed, claiming that the federal government could not afford to fully fund the East Coast Expressway without toll collection. In the end, the construction of the Terengganu section by PAS state government ultimately did not materialise at all. The East Coast Expressway Phase 1 from Karak to Kuantan

2880-472: The rest of the expressway. The upgrading works also included the construction of a second tunnel located beside the existing tunnel to provide additional two lanes for eastbound traffic, widening the toll gates at Gombak and Bentong and also constructing interchanges to replace junctions. However, some junctions were impossible to be upgraded to interchanges due to their geographical locations and therefore some U-turns were constructed to provide entry and exit to

2944-494: The second phase of the ECE begins in Jabur , crossing Cheneh , Chukai , Kijal , Kerteh , Paka , Dungun , Bukit Besi , Ajil , and Telemong before terminating at an interchange with Highway 3 at Kampung Gemuruh near Kuala Terengganu . The Jabor–Kuala Terengganu stretch is operated by PLUS , which also operates the North–South Expressway , as opposed to the Gombak–Jabor stretch, which

3008-476: The toll plazas along the ECE2 E8 is conducted temporarily by Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) themselves before being handed to PLUS Malaysia Berhad in August 2015. The length of this segment is 174 km (108 mi) and runs from Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway through Lanchang , Mentakab , Temerloh , Chenor , Maran , Kuantan and ends at the Pahang – Terengganu border near Jabur . The turnkey contract

3072-614: The tunnel. There is a rest stop with a McDonald's outlet just after the eastern end of the tunnel. The ECE continues its parallel arrangement with Route 68 until the Bentong West toll plaza, where Route 68 veers towards north, merging into Highway 8 in Bentong town. The Karak Expressway continues for another 50 km until the Karak toll plaza, where it ceases to be concurrent with Highway 2. Highway 9 also begins near there, connecting Karak all

3136-531: The way to Kuala Pilah and Tampin in Negeri Sembilan . While the Gombak–Karak stretch uses an open toll collection system , with toll plazas at Gombak and Bentong, the Karak toll plaza is the beginning of the closed access system. Motorists are required to sign-in using Touch 'n Go cards or SmartTAG (transit tickets for cash transactions are no longer accepted starting August 2017). Motorists which leave

3200-400: Was a consortium company formed by MMC Corporation Berhad (through its subsidiary, Projek Lebuhraya Timur Sdn. Bhd. (Pelita)), MTD Group and Malaysian Resource Corporation Berhad ( MRCB ). The 338-km expressway was planned as a different route than the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway even though the former would begin at the end point of the latter. At that time, the estimated construction cost of

3264-566: Was a tolled section managed by PLUS Malaysia Berhad , the operator of the nation's longest expressway, the North–South Expressway . The Federal Highway FT2 later becomes a limited-access arterial highway again after Seputeh Interchange, where it becomes Jalan Syed Putra. Jalan Syed Putra FT2 was concluded at Bulatan Kinabalu where it joins with Jalan Kinabalu FT1. Meanwhile, the Kuala Lumpur–Kuantan Road begins as Jalan Pahang FT2 from Pahang Roundabout at Jalan Tun Razak . The FT2 road

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3328-399: Was also operated by MTD Group (now ANIH Berhad ). Kuala Lumpur%E2%80%93Karak Expressway The Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway [REDACTED] East Coast Expressway is a 60-kilometre (37 mi) interstate controlled-access highway in Peninsular Malaysia . It runs between the town of Gombak in Selangor to the southwest and Karak in Pahang to the northeast. The expressway

3392-480: Was awarded to MTD Capital Bhd . Administratively, the Gombak–Karak stretch is part of LPT Phase 1, being managed by the same concessionaire and sharing the same route number, E8. The Gombak–Karak stretch also forms part of Highway 2 . Though the expressway begins in Gombak, the zeroth kilometer is not there; instead it is located at the intersection of Jalan Pahang (part of Highway 2) and Jalan Tun Razak , near

3456-573: Was known as the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway FT2, featuring the 914.4-m Genting Sempah Tunnel . The 75.2-km toll highway was constructed at the cost of RM136.4 million and was opened to traffic on 7 January 1978. As a result, the old Jalan Gombak was re-gazetted as the Federal Route 68. In 1994, the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway FT2 was upgraded to a full controlled-access expressway by twinning the entire section, including

3520-550: Was monitored by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), while the remaining section was monitored by the Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR). Unlike the first phase of the expressway where MTD Group managed to complete it on time despite the huge flood in Pahang during the construction period, the second phase of the expressway had sparked a controversy due to numerous delays during the construction. The deadline

3584-467: Was much higher than the old bridge, forming the first grade-separated Interchange in Pahang that was linked to the Federal Route 10 . The new bridge project also included a new roadway that bypassed Temerloh and Mentakab, causing the former Temerloh–Mentakab section to be re-gazetted as the Federal Route 87 . The construction of the Sultan Ahmad Shah Bridge was completed in 1974. Meanwhile,

3648-508: Was officially opened to traffic in 1977. The importance of Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway as the main road from Kuala Lumpur to eastern states of Peninsular Malaysia resulted in the government's decision to upgrade the highway to a multi-lane expressway by duplicating the whole highway stretch at another side. Thus, the former two-lane highway become a dual-carriageway with six lanes (three in each direction) from Kuala Lumpur to Genting Highlands exit and four lanes (two in each direction) for

3712-418: Was only allocated about 30% of the construction job for the second phase, from Bukit Besi to Telemung (Package 10), with the total length of 64 km. The remaining 70% of the construction job was awarded to Bumiputra contractors, where 30% of the construction job was allocated to Terengganuan contractors and the remainder was allocated to non-Terengganuan contractors. As a result, the section built by MTD Group

3776-474: Was opened to motorists on 1 August 2004, with the total cost of RM1.3 billion, which was translated to RM7.5 million per kilometre. The expressway was gazetted with the route number of E8, as a continuation of the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2. The second part of Phase 1, the Sri Jaya and Jabur was opened in July 2007. The East Coast Expressway Phase 2 extends the expressway to Kuala Terengganu , serving as

3840-577: Was opened to traffic on 2015, many traffic accidents have occurred along this segment of this expressway. The majority of accidents and fatalities on the new stretches of the expressway was attributed to reckless or exhausted drivers, trespassing animals and damaged and water-logged roads. Unlike the Kuala Lumpur - Karak Highway of E8 section, East Coast Expressway uses closed toll system with barriers where tolls are built on most of their access points and rates are calculated based on distance travelled between

3904-460: Was originally built in the 1970s by the government of Malaysia as an alternative for the winding, narrow route 68 which runs from Gombak in Kuala Lumpur to Bentong, Pahang. The highway is also a part of route 2 . The highway included a 900-metre tunnel at Genting Sempah , which became Malaysia's first highway tunnel ever constructed. It was officially opened in 1979 by the former Minister of Works and Communications, Abdul Ghani Gilong . However,

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3968-448: Was previously a single-carriageway trunk road forming part of federal route 2 ; this designation has been kept after the upgrade in 1997. It shares its designation with the East Coast Expressway proper that succeeds it. The highway has many hairpin bends and many stretches pass through remote forested terrain. Vehicular accidents, many of them fatal, have often occurred on the highway. Because of its remoteness and high number of accidents,

4032-509: Was set for May 2011; however, the final deadline of the project completion was pushed to September 2014. The price hike of construction materials such as bitumen and steel was primarily blamed for the delay, as the price hike had caused several contractors to withdraw from the project due to their inability to afford the increasing construction costs. In addition, the Malaysian Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also claimed that

4096-478: Was ultimately constructed by MTD Group in 2001 after the former consortium withdrew from the job due to the effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis . The East Coast Expressway was opened to motorists on 1 August 2004, taking the role of the Federal Route 2 as the main east–west route from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan. The expressway retained the E8 route number similar to the upgraded Kuala Lumpur–Karak Expressway E8/FT2, which

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