Govt: RM55 million allocated to upgrade East-West highway, UPSI bus crash key section

In the aftermath of the heartbreaking bus accident that claimed 15 lives on the East-West Highway, Minister of Work, Alexander Nanta Linggi, has disclosed that the location of the tragedy is part of an ongoing project to improve the road.

The government has dedicated a significant portion of its budget, RM55 million, to enhance the Gerik-Jeli route, with particular emphasis on the FT04 federal road, an integral part of the Malaysian transportation network.

He emphasize in June 2023, an allocation of RM30 million has been approved for the highway upgrade works and two months later, the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced additional RM30 million to further the reconstruction. 

“This allocation has been utilised to upgrade and maintain several critical sections of FT04,” he said, in a .

He added that ongoing works include road resurfacing and the repair of facilities, bridges, street lights, and traffic lights along both directions of the route.

According to the Minister, the upgrades on FT04 were executed gradually between July and August 2023, fully completed and operational with an overall cost of RM55.73 million, derived from comprehensive damage evaluations of the road surface through the Pavement Condition Assessment (PCA).

He further disclosed that, in 2024, the government had allotted RM7.2 million to facilitate various repairs to other sections of the route, emphasizing their dedication to preserving the safety and integrity of Malaysia's transportation infrastructure.

Nanta said that, while the police investigation into the tragic accident early yesterday morning is still ongoing, he has received various reactions regarding the road conditions, which have gone viral on social media.

“As I have emphasised before, the ministry remains fully committed to ensuring that road infrastructure is safe and comfortable for all users.

“At the same time, I must stress that road safety is a shared responsibility, including that of road users themselves,” he said.

The harrowing accident that unfolded few days ago transpired when a chartered bus transporting UPSI students from Jertih, Terengganu, to their university in Tanjung Malim, Perak, met with an unfortunate fate.

The ill-fated vehicle collided at KM53 of the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, resulting in a harrowing rollover that claimed the lives of 15 students, leaving behind a trail of devastation. The incident not only took a heavy toll on the lives of the students but also inflicted injuries upon 33 others, involving the bus driver, his assistant, three passengers

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