Current allocation insufficient for federal road upkeep, says Ahmad Maslan

KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry needs between RM5 billion and RM6 billion annually to maintain federal roads nationwide, nearly double its current allocation.

Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Maslan said the ministry received RM2.6 billion this year for federal road maintenance, while the allocation for 2027 stood at RM2.59 billion.

"The allocation is not enough. The Finance Ministry will have to find the funds," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Dr Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar), who asked whether the ministry planned to introduce a stricter Defect Liability Period mechanism for federal road maintenance works.

Ahmad said the ministry had introduced a Performance Condition Assessment (PCA) to better identify the extent of road damage and determine the appropriate repair work.

He said the assessment would distinguish between surface damage requiring minor repairs and structural damage that warranted more extensive resurfacing.

"This approach, newly introduced by the Works Ministry, is quite different from how we did things in the past.

"Moving forward, we hope PCA will ensure our road resurfacing is far more targeted and precise," he said.

Ahmad also said the government had spent RM10.6 billion on federal road maintenance nationwide over the past five years.

The expenditure comprised RM1.1 billion in 2022, RM1.7 billion in 2023, RM2.3 billion in 2024, RM2.9 billion in 2025 and RM2.6 billion this year.

He said the spending covered routine maintenance, periodic pavement works and non-pavement works to ensure federal roads remained safe and comfortable for users.

He was responding to Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun (BN-Port Dickson), who asked about the total expenditure over the past five years on repairing recurring damage to federal roads, including those that had undergone repeated resurfacing.

Ahmad attributed recurring road damage to several factors, including increased traffic volume, heavy vehicles exceeding permitted weight limits and substandard pavement works by utility contractors.

He said poorly executed works by utility contractors could shorten road lifespans and lead to repeated patching.

Ahmad also said the ministry allocated RM48 million for streetlight and traffic light maintenance next year.

Spending on such maintenance stood at RM34 million in 2021, RM11 million in 2022, RM47 million in 2023, RM102 million in 2024 and RM100 million in 2025.