Patchy road repairs make PJ folk see red

PETALING JAYA: Residents in some areas here welcome Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s pipe replacement project, but they are unhappy with the resurfacing of affected roads.

Section 12 and 17 residents said workers carrying out the tarmac resurfacing job had done a haphazard job.

Engineer Hwang Yoong Jenn, 59, who lives in Jalan 17/22, said Air Selangor needed to check the quality of work done.

“The (pipe replacement) work starts at 9pm and goes on for about 10 hours, and the main road of Jalan 17/22 must be reopened by 8am.

“When they finish the digging, workers must lay tarmac over the top of the road, but they don’t level it properly.

“They would need about five hours to lay the premix, but they are rushing it.

“So it is not long before the road cracks.

“Technically, the surface is uneven because they need to let the soil and sand settle in the trench for about a week,” he said.


Last year, StarMetro reported of work to replace ageing water pipes with concurrently at a 0.5km stretch along Jalan 12/16A as well as 1.2km of Jalan Tuanku Salahuddin Syah 16/9, including a 1.2km stretch from Jalan 17/1 to Jalan 17/22.

The project, known as Package 38 of Air Selangor’s Old Pipe Replacement Programme, is to replace old pipes, especially those made of asbestos cement.

It said the replacement exercise was expected to be completed by July next year.

“This is long overdue because many of these old pipes burst,” added Hwang.

Section 12 resident David Foo questioned the authorities’ lackadaisical attitude in maintaining the roads.

He said roads go through wear and tear and should be repaired and maintained without residents having to complain.

“Even after the matter is brought to the attention of Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) nothing is done and the road condition deteriorates further.

“I can understand that it’s a temporary job to resurface the road until all the pipework is done, but there has to be a degree of quality rather than just a shoddy patch up job,” he said.

“Private companies, certain utility companies and developers don’t make it a point to repair damaged roads.

“Instead MBPJ will go in and do the repairs at taxpayers’ expense,” said Foo in urging the local council to compel parties involved bear the cost.

Last year, Air Selangor Planning and Capital Works Department assistant vice-president II Haslina Mohd Yahya said throughout the pipe replacement project period, the roads would be temporarily repaired, and once the upgrade was completed, all stretches would be resurfaced from kerb to kerb.

Self-employed Kelvin Yap, 40, who lives on Jalan 17/22 was peeved that residents were not informed about the work in the neighbourhood.

He said no notice was given in their neighbourhood group chats or social media pages.

“Had there been communication, we could have parked our cars away from the affected roads,” he said.

Yap said the stretch along Jalan 17/22 was bumpy and posed a danger to motorists and pedestrians.

“Drivers tend to avoid the uneven roads and bumps and steer to the inner side which may endanger motorists and pedestrians,” he said.

Air Selangor, in a statement, said pipe replacement works had been completed along Jalan 12/16a to Jalan 16/9 as well as on Jalan Sultan Salahuddin.

“In Jalan 17/22, pipe replacement work is ongoing and the road repairs are in progress.

“However, once the work is completed, Air Selangor will work closely with our designated contractors to ensure that all road conditions are fixed and restored to their best condition.”