KUANTAN: Pahang Members of Parliament (MPs) have been urged to raise the issue of Rest and Service (R&R) areas not built along the Lingkaran Tengah Utama (LTU) Expressway in the state at the upcoming Parliament session starting on Oct 14.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said the R&R facilities are crucial for the convenience and safety of road users as the LTU, formerly known as Central Spine Road, involves quite a long travelling distance.
“There are supposed to be two R&Rs built but they no longer exist and I understand that this is due to the cost having doubled. We must remember that the LTU is 299.4 kilometres (km) long. That’s quite a long distance and it’s difficult if there are no toilet facilities and such.
“That’s why we ask (for the R&R areas to be built and) so far, there has been no response. I have asked MPs from Pahang to raise this matter and I hope the Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker will allocate sufficient space for them to debate this issue,” he said.
He said this at a media conference after officiating the launch of the Orang Asli Community Leadership Retreat Programme in conjunction with the state-level International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2024 at a hotel here today.
Wan Rosdy said the issue of the cost having doubled from the initial estimates should not be an obstacle to the construction of the R&Rs on the LTU as the comfort and safety of road users must be prioritised.
The media had previously reported that two locations had been earmarked for R&R facilities along the LTU, namely between Bentong and Raub and in Kampung Kechau Tui, Lipis.
The new road is expected to be completed by the end of 2026, bringing significant benefits to the public, especially those travelling through western Pahang (Bentong, Raub and Lipis) towards Kelantan.
