KUALA LUMPUR: A total of RM10.6bil has been spent on maintenance and repairs for federal roads since 2022, says Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
The Deputy Works Minister said RM1.1bil was spent in 2022, RM1.7bil in 2023, RM2.3bil in 2024, RM2.9bil in 2025 and RM2.6bil so far this year.
"This includes routine maintenance works and related works to ensure federal roads are always safe for use among motorists," he said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Nov 11).
He said factors such as increasing traffic flow and the presence of overloaded heavy vehicles were among the causes of damage to federal roads.
According to the Deputy Minister, the quality of paving and patching works on federal roads by utility contractors had also resulted in additional works having to be carried out.
"The structure of the repair and maintenance of federal roads is also carried out based on existing guidelines with the aim of improving these works alongside increasing the roads' lifespan," he said.
For stretches with structural damage, he said major works such as reconstruction and partial reconstruction works were carried out.
"Various tests are carried out on the site to identify the best steps taken in line with the damage experienced," he said, adding that audits were also carried out on asphalt production plants supplying pavement materials for federal roads.
He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (PH-Port Dickson), who asked about the total allocation spent to repair recurring damage on federal roads, its main causes, and the ministry's mechanisms to ensure periodic maintenance works addressed the root cause of the damage.
On another matter, Aminuddin also asked whether the ministry intended to expand the use of solar-powered LED lights at selected locations to reduce vandalism while improving road safety.
To this, Ahmad said 3,000 solar-powered lights had already been installed at highway blackspots.
"This reduces our costs and we will continue with this in the coming years," he said, adding that RM48mil had been allocated for streetlight and traffic light maintenance next year.
