PLUS Malaysia Bhd, has spent approximately RM1bil in 2016 for the maintenance of its long network of highways in the country
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s largest highway concessionaire, PLUS Malaysia Bhd, has spent approximately RM1bil in 2016 for the maintenance of its long network of highways in the country.
In a Bernama news report, PLUS Malaysia chief executive officer Zakaria Ahmad Zabidi was quoted saying on Tuesday the highways require a lot of maintenance since they had been operating for nearly 30 years.
PLUS has been continuously maintaining its 5,000-kilometre long highways in order to ensure safety for its road users, he said.
Over the last one year alone, the company has conducted more than 10,000 inspections and asset monitoring for all its highways.
“We ensure excellent highway maintenance in line with international safety standards and compliance with stringent requirements imposed by local authorities.
“We have also invested a huge amount of money to preserve pavements, which is our key highway asset,” he said.
Apart from its highway network, PLUS Malaysia also maintains land along the highways containing 7,000 slopes and embankments, 500 bridges, the 800-metre Meru-Menora tunnel (two tunnels side by side for each direction), 114 interchanges, and 24 rest and service areas on a daily basis 24 hours of the day.
Some 1,000 personnel are involved in this mammoth task to maintain the 5,000 km of highways which is equivalent to the distance between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.
Heavy vehicles, which contribute to nearly 25% of the total traffic, are considered as the main reason behind the deterioration of pavements.
Huge amounts of investment and budget were allocated specifically to preserve road assets due to overladen lorries running along the North-South Expressway (NSE).
According to Zakaria, PLUS Malaysia has adopted a three-pronged maintenance strategy which includes routine, curative and preventive maintenance, to preserve its highways.
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