He said a pavement condition assessment had been conducted since March 13. The assessment is essential for identifying damage and selecting the most suitable maintenance methods.

Yesterday, Perak menteri besar Saarani Mohamad urged the federal government to reconstruct the highway as patchwork repairs were no longer sufficient. Last month, he had proposed a new highway or an alternative route be created, following a rise in the number of accidents along the highway.

An accident on the highway last month claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students.

Roslan said repairs would be made from an existing allocation of RM55 million. He said it was impossible to repair the entire route in a short period due to the high cost and potential disruption to other infrastructure projects, Bernama quoted him as saying.

“We want every ringgit spent to have the best possible impact for the people.”

The 215km-long highway has frequently suffered damage due to weather conditions and heavy traffic flow. Earlier this month, works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi was reported to have said a RM55 million allocation will be used to improve the highway after several sections were identified for upgrading works.