If you have travelled along the 77km Senai-Desaru Highway in Johor and found it to be a bumpy ride, the fault can be traced to roadworks that ‘did not meet specifications’.

NONE According to the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 on the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA), some stretches of the highway were built to less than the minimum depth of 95mm.

“We conducted an audit visit in October (last year) and found the quality of work to be unsatisfactory. Coring tests conducted revealed that (some stretches were) not built according to specifications, with the lowest coring recorded at 72mm compared to the minimum 95mm,” says the report.

“There are (several) ‘wavy’ stretches and uneven (parts) in Package 1 and 2. In addition, there are stretches that have been open for only a year but which are (already) badly damaged with potholes.”

The report states that, although Package 3 is 100 percent complete, it has not been opened yet because of unsatisfactory work.

NONE In addition Package 3 had not been completed by the contract deadline of July 18, 2008 - three extensions had to be given until Dec 31, 2010.

The main contractor had faced financial difficulties as there was a rise in the cost of materials, while, there were delays in the handover of acquired land and due to the weather, says the report.

Land acquisition had more than doubled from RM365 million to RM740.6 million.

‘Fine the concessionaire’

Under Package 3, the contractor was to have incorporated  erosion-prevention measures at five bridges over rivers.

NONE The bridges have been built but the erosion-prevention measures have not been provided, says the report.

It also notes that revetment protection (building of barricades) has not been done, leading to damage from erosion, while poor maintenance has led to overgrown grass on the roadsides and in the drains.

The MHA has been advised to conduct proper tests to ensure the stability of the land.

The report states that a proper survey should have been conducted in building the highway, as this would have prevented the escalation in the land-takeover cost, which went up by RM81.77 million.

Furthermore, as the government has lost 20 percent of the revenue due from toll collection - because of the delay in completion - the report recommends that the concessionaire be fined.

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