Motorists using 24 expressways during the Chinese New Year will enjoy toll rebates and discounts of between five and 37.5 per cent.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor said expressways under Plus Bhd would be giving a 20 per cent rebate on Thursday and Feb 15, and 30 per cent rebate on Sunday.

Other highways are giving between 15 and 37.5 per cent discounts from or on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, he told reporters after visiting the construction site of the North-South Expressway's (NSE) widening project near the rest and service area here, today.

Shaziman asked contractors to stop construction tasks except for critical works along expressways to avoid traffic congestion and in support of 'Ops Selamat' from yesterday till Feb 17.

He also asked concessionaires to increase the frequency of patrols along expressways to enable them to attend to emergency cases quickly, and to alert users on congestion and other pertinent information.

On the Plus widening project, he said it entailed the construction of fourth lanes for a distance of 63.3 km between the Shah Alam and Jalan Duta toll plazas, and between the Nilai Utara and Port Dickson interchanges involving the NSE and the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE), which is scheduled for
completion in December 2014.

Shaziman hoped the construction of the new Seremban interchange could be completed simultaneously or even earlier.

"Hence, I have asked the Malaysian Highway Authority to discuss with the Negeri Sembilan government on the need to issue a certificate of urgency to enable the construction of the new interchange to start as soon as possible.

This will help ease the traffic flow to Seremban quickly," he said.