RANAU – After two weeks of floods and landslides, 17 roads and a bridge are in desperate need for repairs in Sabah, estimated to cost RM150 million, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin.
“Let’s fix all the damaged roads first and figure out a way to get funds from the federal government.
“Some repairs are under the Public Works Department and some are the responsibility of the concessionaires.
“As for the source of funding… we’ll see. The state government will seek federal government’s assistance.”
Earlier about 100 roads in the state were inaccessible but most have been repaired.
Bung was inspecting the Kinabalu National Park parking lot here that was seriously damaged on Wednesday.
He said repairs for the parking lot will take some time as it involves a study by geologists and PWD.
“We do not want to rebuild it, only to have it collapse again. We want to ensure that it will be safe.”
As for the KM20 of Jalan Ranau-Tamparuli that was damaged by landslide last Wednesday, Bung said a temporary road has been set up, but there is no permanent alternative to connect Kota Kinabalu to Ranau.
“This is the main road, and it is important. We will speed up the repair process, and it is going to cost RM30 to RM40 million, which we will acquire from the federal government.
“It is also important for the tourism sector as it connects people to Kundasang, which receives a high number of visitors each year,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bung said PWD has fixed the Talaga bridge in Pitas, and the team has now moved to a disconnected village, Kg Liu, to fix a damaged road and bridge.
“We hope the good weather will hold as bad weather has been the biggest obstacle to repairs.” – The Vibes, January 24, 2021
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