KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry needs up to RM4 billion annually to fully carry out road maintenance across the country.
However, its Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the ministry only receives about 30 per cent of that amount each year to repair federal roads, which fall under its jurisdiction.
As a result, he acknowledged that the ministry faces challenges in ensuring all roads under its care are properly maintained.
“We consistently submit funding requests to improve road maintenance. We do so earnestly because maintaining roads requires a budget of RM4 billion.
“But usually, we only receive 30 per cent or even less of that amount as approved in the annual budget.
“If possible, we hope this gap can be narrowed, as we really need more funds for this purpose,” he said during the BH Podcast Borak Harini programme titled ‘Salah jalan atau salah orang punca ramai mati di jalan’ recently.
He said this year’s budget allocated RM10.35 billion to the ministry, a nine per cent increase from RM9.511 billion last year.
Nanta added that the RM4 billion allocation is not only for road repairs but also for rebuilding aging infrastructure, as many road facilities are becoming increasingly worn out.
In a related development, he said the ministry aims to improve highway facilities by focusing on the implementation of the barrierless toll collection system, known as the Multi-Lane Fast Flow (MLFF).
He said that while it is difficult to specify a timeline for the MLFF rollout, the ministry is committed to implementing the system as soon as possible to ease highway traffic flow.
“Currently, we’re using various methods including Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and cards, all of which are improvement measures. But ultimately, the ministry is in the process of transitioning to MLFF.
“The government is identifying a company or agency that can manage MLFF. Since we plan to implement it, we’re not prioritising major investments in other toll payment system upgrades that would require significant spending.
“If we invest in upgrading another system now and then switch to MLFF in a year or two, that investment wouldn’t be worthwhile.
“So we’re holding off a bit longer to move ahead with MLFF,” he said when asked whether the ministry plans to improve the current RFID system.
Previously, the Public Accounts Committee had said the ministry must ensure there are no financial implications for the government or users under the proposed MLFF system, which is expected to be finalised soon.
Meanwhile, Nanta said abolishing highway tolls is not feasible under current economic conditions, as it would place a significant financial burden on the government due to high road maintenance costs and compensation to concessionaires.
He said that eliminating tolls would require the government to allocate billions of ringgit for highway maintenance and compensation, funds that could be better used elsewhere.
“Abolishing tolls is not a small matter because it would involve huge financial implications related to maintenance and payments to concession companies. Is that reasonable?” he said.
On the MYJalan mobile application launched by the ministry in August 2023, Nanta said it has received 39,371 complaints to date.
Of that number, only 11,959 complaints, or 30.38 per cent, involved federal roads under the ministry’s jurisdiction.
“The remaining 27,412 complaints, or 69.62 per cent, involved roads not under the ministry’s purview, such as state roads or those managed by local authorities,” he said.
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