Federal Hill road upgrading works under the spotlight
A FEDERAL Hill Kuala Lumpur resident has questioned the necessity for repair works currently being carried out in Jalan Selangor.
The 64-year-old, who declined to be identified, said they did not understand why the drains and pedestrian footpaths were being replaced when the original structures appeared to be in good condition.
“The pedestrian footpath on both sides of the road fronting the Travers police station had tiles and the kerbstones were in perfect condition.
“The tiles needed to be cleaned of moss and lichen, but that was it.
“The kerb was also in good condition.
“Drainage might have been an issue but this could have been solved with proper maintenance,” said the resident.
They said it was a similar situation at the roundabout at the top of Jalan Selangor.
The retired mechanical engineer also complained about the contractor dumping wooden pallets, plastic wrap and other rubbish by the side of the road.
When Starmetro visited the area, a site supervisor for the contractor said they had a letter from Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) to carry out road upgrades not only in Jalan Selangor but also in Jalan Johor and Jalan Persekutuan at Federal Hill.
The work permit dated March 15 states that the upgrades are expected to be completed by June 14.
The site supervisor also said that while the drains and footpaths appeared fine outwardly, the internal parts of the structures had given way.
“The walls surrounding the drains were broken, causing some parts to become clogged, which impeded water flow.
“The majority of the 50 drain inlets along the footpaths were broken and clogged.”
He said the drains would be widened from 0.3m to 0.6m and a new concrete footpath, wider than previously and with a rougher non-slip surface, had also replaced the old one.
As for the rubbish issue, the site supervisor said they would be cleared once construction work was completed.