The affected highways are the Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya Expressway, East Coast Expressway Phase 1, Kemuning-Shah Alam Highway, Damansara-Shah Alam Elevated Expressway, Senai-Desaru Expressway, South Klang Valley Expressway, Setiawangsa-Pantai Expressway, Kajang-Seremban Expressway, Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway, SMART Tunnel, West Coast Expressway and Butterworth Outer Ring Road.

Ahmad said parties often proposed new highway projects, but not all were able to generate sustainable returns.

“I want to point out that although many are eager to build highways, there are 12 toll concessions that recorded losses in their financial reports for the year ending 2024,” he told the Dewan Rakyat in response to a question from Zahir Hassan (PH-Wangsa Maju) on the performance of the 33 concessionaires.

He said the varying performance underscored the importance of thorough evaluation before approving new projects.

“To anyone proposing a highway here and a highway there, do your calculations properly because without sufficient traffic, profits are far from certain,” he said.

Ahmad cited the proposed East Coast Expressway 3 from Kuala Terengganu to Kota Bharu as an example, questioning its potential for profitability.

“With an estimated toll rate of RM70 and construction cost of RM10 billion, would it be profitable? If it’s not, it becomes complicated later because the government may have to bear the losses to take over, and so on.”