Potholes Must Be Fixed Within 24 Hours - Works Minister

The Works Ministry has ordered the concessionaire responsible for Jalan Sengkang-Felda Inas-Bandar Tenggara in Johor to immediately repair potholes along the route. This directive follows a fatal accident last Friday, where two siblings were killed when their motorcycle struck a pothole on the road.

Its minister, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi stated that Federal road concessionaires must temporarily patch damaged roads within 24 hours and permanently patch them within 3 days, as required by the Public Works Department's (JKR) asset maintenance policy.



"This is stipulated in the JKR declaration through the customer charter related to damaged roads due to potholes. The Federal road concessionaire must do temporary patching within a day, while permanent repairs must be done within three days

"However, for large-scale repair work, allocation applications must be made in advance on an annual and phased basis. The repair period will take between a month to a year, depending on the type and complexity of the repair as well as the approval of the allocated funds," he says in a Berita Harian report.

The entire Federal road system undergoes yearly inspections and any necessary repairs by JKR and the concessionaires they have appointed, as stated by Alexander.

The inspection findings will be submitted by the ministry to the government for approval. JKR will instruct the concessionaires to carry out the necessary road repair work once the government approves the work allocation, he says.

"This is identified as an 'overlay' method, where the damaged layer of pavement is removed and replaced with a new one," the minister added.

The Minister of Works emphasized that the project could be finished in three weeks to three months once funding is secured. This timeframe includes traffic management during the restoration period.


However, he also noted that the completion time depends on several factors, including the availability of concessions, work planning, and coordination with agencies at the repair site.