Jkr Officers Must Study Prices, Different Costs Before Approving Road Construction Projects - Ahmad

KLANG, May 27 (Bernama) -- Public Works Department (JKR) officers have been asked to conduct detailed assessments on road construction costs before approving any project to avoid excessive use of government allocations.

Deputy Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan said officers entrusted with the duty must look at the project comprehensively from the aspect of terrain and earth works required and make cost comparisons with similar infrastructure constructions so that the funds allocated would be reasonable.

“I found that there are road construction projects with different costs even though they didn’t involve land acquisition and additional earth works before the road is built.

“If there are two road projects where the land and terrain are similar, let’s not have one road costing RM10 million and the other exceeding RM12 million… that’s clearly too much,” he told reporters after officiating the JKR senior officers’ convention here today, adding that all matters involving excessive public funds required immediate attention of all JKR officers and staff so that the government allocation could be utilised better.

In other developments, Ahmad said that the Public Works Ministry will request for higher allocations in the 2025 Budget to upgrade Federal roads and bridges throughout the country as the RM2.8 billion this year was inadequate.

Based on assessments, the ministry needed up to RM4 billion to conduct the work as the majority of Federal roads required immediate maintenance.

“Each road has a certain lifespan, which can shorten due to several factors, including weather, overcapacity and soil issues, such as settlement and ponding,” he added.

-- BERNAMA