KOTA TINGGI: Three federal roads in Johor have not been upgraded for the past four years, and more federal funding will be sought this year for this purpose, says Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.
The state works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman said that he is hoping Johor will be able to get a larger cut from the RM5.2bil grant under the Malaysian Road Record Information System (Marris), announced during Budget 2023.
The roads include federal routes from Muar-Yong Peng-Johor Baru, from Mersing-Kota Tinggi-Johor Baru and from Muar-Batu Pahat-Pontian-Johor Baru.
“Based on our soil research, we identified three federal roads in critical condition that require repair work to ensure the safety of road users. All of this infrastructure was built more than 30 years ago, and traffic and vehicle numbers were not as heavy back then.
“As the state develops, road usage also increases, and we hope that we will be able to get the allocation,” he said when met by reporters after visiting the Jalan Inas-Kota Tinggi federal road upgrading project here yesterday.
According to Mohamad Fazli, the state has the most federal routes and should logically get more allocation.
“We hope the Federal Government will also take into account our location, which is right next to our developed neighbour Singapore,” he added.
The Bukit Pasir assemblyman also thanked Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the RM525mil allocation for upgrading works on the North-South Express-way (PLUS) stretching from Yong Peng Utara to Senai Utara, which will expand from four lanes to six.
“The government has also agreed to upgrade the highway network to Pengerang by constructing overtaking lanes on the Senai Desaru Expressway (SDE).
On Friday, Anwar announced during the tabling of the Budget 2023 that the government will improve highway facilities to Pengerang by constructing an overtaking lane on the SDE and upgrading of the PLUS Highway from four to six lanes at a cost of RM525mil.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Fazli said the state had received a RM1.8mil grant to upgrade Jalan Inas towards Kota Tinggi in March this year.
“We expect the roadworks to be completed before Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which will benefit those travelling from Kulai, Kota Tinggi, Kluang and Sembrong,” he said.
He added that the road was built on peat soil and had started to wear down.
Mohamad Fazli also said that the Federal Government has provided the state with RM3.8 million to improve road conditions on the Pasir Gudang Highway.
“We usually repair the roads through milling and paving techniques, but this time we will be using the cold in-place recycling treatment to conduct pavement rehabilitation and stabilisation with cement,” he said, adding that it would ensure a longer-lasting road.
