 The entire expressway is expected to be completed by 2015, after considering the northeast monsoon season factor.The construction of the Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai Expressway was planned as early as during the Fifth Malaysia Plan during the end of the 1980s.The expressway was planned to be built as an alternative for the badly-congested Federal Route 8 along the Kota Bharu–Kuala Krai section, which becomes worse during festive season.