Press statement by MCA Spokesperson Wong Siew Mun
The announcement by the Ministry of Works that RM1.7 billion has been allocated to upgrade Karak Highway is welcome. We believe that after the highway has been upgraded, not only will the perennial congestions be solved, the upgrade will also drive economic development along the East Coast.
The Karak Highway was launched in 1974 and expanded into a complete highway in 1997. It is an important traffic artery connecting the East and West Coasts of Peninsular Malaysia. In fact, it is the main transportation artery connecting both regions. With an increase in traffic and aging road facilities, concerns grow over safety issues along Karak Highway.
Based on news reports, this allocation will be utilised to expand lanes and build additional tunnels. We believe that in any improvement plans, safety measures to strengthen Karak Highway should be included. These include, identifying blind spots where traffic accidents occur. Adding street lamps and reflectors along the dividers and road, devices, deceleration facilities and others can help lower the probabilities of traffic accidents.
This announcement by the Works Ministry is timely. Not only will the allocation assist to overcome traffic congestion and improve safety, if the upgrade can be completed within 3 years as scheduled and coupled with the launching of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), the economy will definitely be a beneficiary while more citizens will be attracted to travel across both the East and West Coasts.
We hope that the entire project will proceed in a well-planned and orderly manner. In addition to being completed on schedule, adequate safety measures should be undertaken during the construction period so that the impact on road users will be lessened.
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