Malaysian Federal Roads System (Malay: Sistem Jalan Persekutuan Malaysia), is the main national road network in Malaysia. All Federal Roads in Malaysia are under the purview of the Ministry of Works (MOW). According to the Ministerial Functions Act 1969, the MOW is responsible to plan, build and maintain all Federal Roads gazetted under the Federal Roads Act 1959.[3] However, most of the Federal roads' projects were built and maintained by the Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR), which is also one of the implementing agencies under the MOW (with the exception of Sabah and Sarawak, whereby JKR in these two states is under respective state government).
History
Most of the federal roads in Peninsular Malaysia were built during the British colonial era before 1957. At that time, the British government built the roads in order to enable them to transport goods and commodities easier.
In Sabah, most of the federal roads were built during the occupation of British North Borneo under North Borneo Chartered Company administration, and unlike most federal roads in Peninsular Malaysia which uses only numbers to label federal roads, Sabah federal road codes begin with the letter A followed by route number.
However, in Sarawak, no road network system was developed during the rule of White RajahBrooke dynasty. As a result, right after Sarawak joined the federation of Malaysia on 16 September 1963, the federal government of Malaysia began to build a road network system connecting Sarawak to Sabah, known as Pan Borneo Highway.
Federal road standards
Overview
According to Malaysian Road Statistics 2021 by Public Works Department (JKR) Malaysia. The total length of federal roads is 20,017.97 km (12,438.59 mi) and state roads is 247,027.61 km (153,495.84 mi) (Grand total for federal/state roads is 290,099.38 km (180,259.40 mi) as of December 2021, not included local road and rural road under local government authority).
(Source: Malaysian Road Statistics 2021)
Federal routes are labeled with only numbers, for example Federal Route 1, while state routes are labeled with the state code letter followed by assigned numbers; for example Route (J)32 is a Johor state road. However, federal route numbers can also be added with the
FT- prefix, which is normally used by JKR and Malaysian police. For example, Federal Route 1 can also be written as Federal Route FT1. Both federal and state roads have blue road signs and the text colour is white.
Most of the federal roads in Malaysia are two-lane roads. Malaysia implements a right-hand driving system where drivers drive on the left side of the road. However, there are in certain places where additional lanes are available. In town areas, federal roads may become four-lane roads to increase traffic capacity. In hilly areas, additional third climbing lane is available for slower vehicles such as buses and lorries.
Some federal roads may have motorcycle lanes. On Malaysian federal roads, the motorcycle lanes are placed at the extreme left side of each direction and only separated from the main lanes by black-and-white stripes to enable motorcyclists to overtake slower motorcycles and to turn right to exit the road.
Some expressways in Malaysia such as Federal Highway and Skudai Highway are federally funded, therefore all federally funded expressways are also classified as federal roads.
Sarawak has some of the most extensive federal road network in Malaysia. All federal roads in Sarawak is connecting main divisions with exception of Mukah division. As for Kapit division, the only federal road serving this division is Jalan Bakun (starting from KM 95–KM 120). Coastal road of Bintulu–Miri is a still in dispute between federal government and state government right of maintenance. It is due to the construction is federal funded, but the compensation and acquisition of land are from Sarawak state government. No federal roads are isolated from the network unlike state roads. Uniquely in Sarawak, federal road network is adjoined internationally to Brunei highway at Sungai Tujuh (Miri) with Kuala Belait (Brunei), Tedungan (Limbang) with Kuala Lurah (Brunei), Limbang with Puni (Brunei), Lawas with Labu (Brunei) and also to Indonesian road network at Tebedu (Serian district) with Entikong (Kalimantan Barat, Indonesia).
Malaysian federal roads are subject to the rural highway standard adopted by Malaysian Public Works Department (JKR), ranging from R1 and R1a (minor roads at villages and FELDA settlements with no access control and low speed limits) to R5 (federal roads or highways with limited access control and speed limits up to 90 km/h). R6 standard is exclusive for high-speed (up to 110 km/h) expressways with full access control.
In Sarawak, there are two industrial federal roads, which are located at Pending Industrial Estate in Kuching and Kidurong Industrial Estate in Bintulu.
Asian Highway route shield.Federal Roads distance sign with Asian Highway route shield.
Asian Highway Network is an international project between Asian nations to develop their highway systems which will form the main routes in the Asian Highway network. There are 7 Asian Highway routes passing through Malaysia - AH2, AH18, AH140, AH141, AH142, AH143, and AH150.
Malaysian federal roads were previously maintained by the Public Works Department itself; since 2000, several private contractors were appointed by the JKR to provide maintenance to the federal roads by region.[4][5]
The default speed limit and National Speed Limits is 90 km/h (56 mph); however, a lower speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph) has been implemented during festive seasons starting from the 2006 Hari Raya Aidilfitri as a preventive measure to reduce accidents during festive seasons. In town areas, the speed limit is reduced to 60 km/h (37 mph). Speed traps are also deployed by the Malaysian police at many places along the federal roads.
Accidents
Malaysian federal roads are always sites of most of the road accidents in Malaysia, especially during festive seasons.
The Automated Enforcement System (AES) is the road safety enforcement system to monitor all federal roads, highways and expressways in Malaysia. This system came into effect on 22 September 2012.
Federal Routes 1, 77, 76, 5, 24 and 3 were main routes for Japanese Imperial forces from Thailand to Singapore during the Battle of Malaya between 1941 and 1942. There are many abandoned World War II-era bunkers along the roads.
The Federal Route 1 is the earliest federal road in Malaysia and also the longest federal road in Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak Federal Route is also labelled as no.1, with same signage.
Sarawak is connected to Brunei and Indonesia via its vast federal road networks. However, Sarawak is the only state with missing link in its main federal road trunk, which is at Sungai Pandaruan which separates Sarawak district of Limbang and Brunei district of Temburong. However, there is no missing link between Kuching and Miri, as well as from Brunei district of Temburong to Lawas then up to Tawau in Sabah.
There is one bailey bridge in Sarawak federal trunk road, which is also the narrowest bridge in federal road network system in Malaysia, crossing Batang Merapok at Lawas, Sarawak.
.jpg)
