KOTA KINABALU – There will be no repairs or upgrades on the badly damaged Sandakan road due to the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway project here, which is expected to start in two years.
Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin said the high expenditure for the repairs would be a waste of funds as the road will eventually be upgraded under the highway project.
The state public works minister was referring to the problems along Mile 32 and Mile 28 of the road in Telupid within Sandakan district.
“Upgrading the road now will cost the government a bomb. It would require between RM200 million to RM300 million. Therefore, spending that amount now will not be appropriate as the road will be upgraded to a better one in the future.
“We need to be patient. Wait for another two years. I am also using the same road and have experienced burst tyres due to the badly damaged road. I have instructed contractors to ensure that the road is not damaged further.
“So, for the time being, we have to accept what is happening on the ground. There is no point in having expenditure on the road now as it will be demolished to make way for the Pan Borneo highway construction,” he said during the question-and-answer session at the Sabah legislative assembly today.
Bung was responding to supplementary questions from appointed assemblyman Aliakbar Gulasan of PAS and Calvin Chong (Elopura-independent).
Issues related to the Sandakan road in question have gone viral after social media users complained about burst tyres and damaged cars, especially after a flooding disaster in the area.
On the progress of the Pan Borneo highway works, Bung said overall works on all 15 packages are on schedule and will be completed in phases.
“Four packages will be completed this year, namely work packages 5, 15, 21 and 27.
“Some packages will have delays due to the land acquisition and relocation of utilities,” he said. – The Vibes, March 21, 2022
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