Butterworth–Kulim Expressway

Expressway 15
Butterworth-Kulim Expressway
[[File: Butterworth–Kulim Expressway (Peninsular Malaysia) |290px|alt=]]
Route information
Part of
Maintained by PLUS Malaysia Berhad with its subsidiary Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad (Former concessionaries known as Konsortium Lebuhraya Butterworth-Kulim (KLBK) Sdn Bhd)
Length:	17.0 km (10.6 mi)
Existed:	1994 – present
History:	Completed in 1996, opened on 15 November 1996
Major junctions
West end:	Butterworth, Penang
	Butterworth Outer Ring Road North-South Expressway Northern Route Federal Route 136 Jalan Kulim Hi-Tech East-West Highway
East end:	Lunas, Kedah
Location
Primary destinations:	Butterworth, Seberang Jaya, Prai, Permatang Pauh, Lunas, Kulim, Baling
Highway system
Highways in Malaysia Expressways Federal State

Butterworth–Kulim Expressway, BKE (Malay: Lebuhraya Butterworth-Kulim), Asian Highway Route is an only opened toll system's expressway in Penang, Malaysia. The 17 km (11 mi) expressway connects Butterworth, Penang in the west to Lunas, Kedah in the east. It is also a main route to East-West Highway (Federal Route ) via Baling, Kedah and Gerik, Perak.

Route background

The Kilometre Zero of the expressway starts at Sungai Perai bridge in Butterworth, Penang.

History

The construction of BKE started in December 1994 and completed in September 1996.

KLBK Sdn Bhd

Konsortium Lebuhraya Butterworth-Kulim (KLBK) Sdn Bhd, commercially known as Buterworth Kulim Expressway (BKE) a wholly owned subsidiary of PLUS Expressway Berhad ("PLUS Expressways") has been awarded the concession and contract to construct and operate the highway of dual two (2) lane carriageway with separate motorcycle tracks and related highway facilities for the 16.78 km highway. The concession period is for thirty-two (32) years (June 1994 to June 2026, including 2 years construction period), after which the highway will be transferred to the Government. On 2011, the company was taken over to PLUS Malaysia Berhad and its subsidiary Projek Lebuhraya Usahasama Berhad.

Features

• Geographically, the terrain between KM 5.00 (start point) and KM 11.00 is rather flat, passing through paddy field areas. From KM 11.00 to KM 19.00, the terrain is slightly undulating, where cut and fill slopes are common features. The terrain is again flat from KM 19.00 to KM 21.78 (end point), mainly passing through the estates and developing residential areas.
• Geometrically, there are four (4) grades separated interchanges and one (1) at grade interchange along BKE. Moreover, there are nine (9) reinforced concrete bridges (three (3) of those are river bridges, i.e. Sungai Mengkuang, Sungai Kulim and Sungai Karangan, whereas the rest are bridges over local roads or railway track).
• Tuanku Bainun Teachers Training Institute (Institut Perguruan Tuanku Bainun) (IPTB)
• High speed limit 90 km/h
• Four-lane dual carriageway
• SOS emergency phones
• Dedicated motorcycle lane

Tolls

The Butterworth-Kulim Expressway using opened toll systems.

Lunas and Kubang Semang toll plazas will be fully Electronic Toll Collections (ETC)

As part of an initiative to facilitate faster transaction at the Lunas and Kubang Semang Toll Plazas, all toll transactions at both toll plazas on the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway will be conducted electronically via PLUSMiles, Touch 'n Go cards or SmartTAGs starting 9 September 2015.

Toll rates

Lunas toll plaza

Class	Type of vehicles	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
0	Motorcycles	Free
1	Vehicles with 2 axles and 3 or 4 wheels excluding taxis	RM 1.60
2	Vehicles with 2 axles and 5 or 6 wheels excluding buses	RM 3.20
3	Vehicles with 3 or more axles	RM 4.80
4	Taxis	RM 0.80
5	Buses	RM 1.60

Kubang Semang toll plaza

Class	Type of vehicles	Rate (in Malaysian Ringgit (RM))
0	Motorcycles	Free
1	Vehicles with 2 axles and 3 or 4 wheels excluding taxis	RM 1.60
2	Vehicles with 2 axles and 5 or 6 wheels excluding buses	RM 3.20
3	Vehicles with 3 or more axles	RM 4.80
4	Taxis	RM 0.80
5	Buses	RM 1.60

Note: Toll charges can only be paid with the Touch 'n Go and PLUSMiles cards or SmartTAG. Cash payment is not accepted.

List of interchange

km	Exit	Interchange	To	Remarks
			WEST BUTTERWORTH OUTER RING ROAD (NBCT-SUNGAI NYIOR SIDE) Sungai Nyior Butterworth Bagan Ajam Perai George Town (Ferry )
BUTTERWORTH OUTER RING ROAD (NBCT-SUNGAI NYIOR SIDE) LLB border limit
0 0
BUTTERWORTH-KULIM EXPRESSWAY PLUS Expressways border limit
	EXIT 1503	SEBERANG JAYA INTERCHANGE	NORTH-SOUTH EXPRESSWAY NORTHERN ROUTE NORTH Alor Star / Thailand Permatang Pauh SOUTH Kuala Lumpur Ipoh Penang	Multi-level stacked roundabout interchange
5	EXIT 1504	PERMATANG PAUH INTERCHANGE	P7 Permatang Pauh AEON Big	Diamond interchange
Kubang Semang Toll Plaza KSTP TnG TnG TAG TAG TnG TnG Opened toll system Pay toll
		Kubang Semang Toll Plaza KSTP		East bound
		Sungai Kubang Semang bridge
	EXIT 1505	PERMATANG NIBONG INTERCHANGE	P3 Permatang Nibong P188 Kubang Semang P3 Penanti	Half diamond interchange
		Railway crossing bridge
	EXIT 1506	TASIK MENGKUANG INTERCHANGE	P129 Penanti P129 Berapit P129 Kulim P129 Bukit Mertajam Tokun Hill Bukit Mertajam Recreation Area Institut Perguruan Tuanku Bainun (IPTB)	Diamond interchange
		Penanti Rest and Service Areas and Overhead Bridge Restaurant	Petronas Shell	Both bound
Penang Seberang Perai Tengah district border
Kedah-Penang border
Kedah Darul Aman Kulim district border
		Lunas toll plaza LNS		West bound
Lunas toll plaza LNS TnG TnG TAG TAG TnG TnG Opened toll system Pay toll
		Sungai Kulim bridge
	EXIT 1507	LUNAS INTERCHANGE	NORTH Kuala Ketil Padang Serai Lunas Town Centre SOUTH Kulim Mahang	Diamond interchange
21.7		SUNGAI SELUANG JUNCTIONS	NORTH K811 JALAN SUNGAI SELUANG K811 Sungai Seluang Sidam Padang Serai SOUTHEAST JALAN PERUSAHAN Kulim Industrial Area	Junctions
		KULIM HI-TECH JUNCTIONS	SOUTH JALAN KULIM HI-TECH Kulim Hi-Tech Sungai Kob Karangan	Junctions
BUTTERWORTH-KULIM EXPRESSWAY Start/End of Expressway PLUS Expressways border limit
21.9
EAST-WEST HIGHWAY Start/End of highway JKR border limit
			EAST EAST-WEST HIGHWAY Baling Gerik Jeli Tanah Merah Kota Bharu

External links

• PLUS Expressways Berhad
• Butterworth-Kulim Expressway