KUALA LUMPUR: Poor-quality resurfacing works by contractors and utility companies have been identified as among the factors contributing to recurring damage to federal roads, necessitating repeated patching works.
Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan (pic) said other contributing factors included heavy vehicles exceeding the permissible load limit, drainage conditions, weather and the age of the roads.
He said RM10.6bil had been spent on the maintenance and repair of federal roads nationwide from 2021 to 2025, covering routine and periodic pavement maintenance as well as related works to ensure that the roads remained safe and comfortable for users.
Ahmad said federal roads were maintained and repaired in accordance with existing guidelines, including road engineering instructions, standard road specifications and road technical notes, to ensure the quality of resurfacing works and extend the lifespan of the roads.
"The mechanisms used in carrying out road maintenance and repair works are determined by factors such as the type and severity of road damage, the volume of heavy vehicle traffic, road hierarchy, accident rates and the road life cycle,” he said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 11).
He was replying to a question from Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (PH-Port Dickson) on the allocation spent over the past five years to repair recurring damage to federal roads, including cases where the same roads had been patched repeatedly, as well as the main causes of the damage.
Meanwhile, Ahmad said the proposed 122-kilometre East Coast Expressway Phase 3 (LPT3), stretching from Kampung Gemuruh in Terengganu to Tunjung in Kelantan, was still at the stage of having its request for proposal (RFP) documents prepared by the Public Private Partnership Unit (UKAS) of the Prime Minister's Department (JPM).
He said the project had been proposed for implementation through privatisation under a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with the successful bidder bearing the full development cost.
"The Works Ministry has submitted the project’s statement of needs (SoN) to UKAS JPM for the preparation of the RFP documents, after which the proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet for consideration and decision,” he said.
He was replying to a question from Datuk Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli (PN-Dungun) on the latest status of the proposed LPT3 construction project through privatisation under a public-private partnership arrangement. - Bernama
