SHAH ALAM: The Public Works Department (JKR) and road maintenance concessionaires have been urged to increase patrols to detect infrastructure damage, especially during adverse weather conditions. Minister of Works, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, emphasised that the responsible parties should not adopt a careless attitude or take road damage lightly, as it could pose a safety risk.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Nanta stated that contractors handling projects on Federal roads must also take responsibility for repairing road damage to ensure the safety of road users on those routes. This statement follows complaints from road users, including a social media post by Pelabuhan Klang assemblyman Azmizam Zaman Huri, criticising JKR regarding the damage to Jalan Pelabuhan Utara-Barat and Jalan Pelabuhan Utara, Section 1, recently.

Nanta highlighted that even a palm-sized pothole poses a risk to road users, especially motorcyclists, and concerns human lives. He noted that damage could be due to factors such
as aging roads, heavy vehicles, and severe weather conditions. Therefore, concession companies responsible for road maintenance should prioritise frequent patrols on the roads they manage.

He took the issue raised by Azmizam seriously and informed that JKR Klang had swiftly patched the potholes and repaired the damaged road surface at the expansion joint, which was caused by heavy rain on Dec 1. The patching work was carried out by Roadcare (M) Sdn Bhd (RCSB) on Jalan Pelabuhan Utara-Barat, though the expansion joint repairs had been conducted in 2020.

Nanta clarified that Jalan Pelabuhan Klang Utara is no longer under RCSB’s concession but has been the responsibility of the Klang Container Terminal upgrade project owner since Oct 20, 2016. In response to the immediate concerns, JKR Klang carried out temporary patching work at the affected locations on Nov 25 and 26.