History
Construction began in 1909 by the British, after the Treaty of Bangkok. The British constructed main roads to link their possessions in Malaya. Among other roads are Federal Route on the east coast and Federal Route linking the east and west coasts. Federal Route 1 is approximately 826.6 kilometres (514 mi), and stretches from Thailand to Singapore.
The road grew in importance as it connected most of the state capitals on the west coast (except Perlis and Malacca), and as a result, numerous towns grew along its path. By the 1980s, the highway was bogged down with severe congestion, and the present North-South Expressway was built as a more efficient alternative, bypassing the many towns which the Federal Route 1 serves.
Much of the road remains in use, although in September 2009, portions of the road to north of Ipoh were temporarily closed to facilitate double tracking and electrification along the Ipoh-Padang Besar railway line.
Read more about this topic: Malaysia Federal Route 1
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