SRI AMAN – Phase One of the Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) project from Simpang Pantu to Batang Skrang in the Bukit Begunan section here is set to be completed in November, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said, according to the original plan, the project in the area was scheduled to be ready in June but a time extension became necessary following landslide incidents which required the project’s structure to be re-designed using different building materials.
“Previously, the project design for this section used earthfill as an embankment but there was a failure in the project and it was changed to a design using rockfill after a detailed study was carried out,” he told a media conference after surveying the Bukit Begunan section here today.
Nanta said the use of boulders weighing 721,000 cubic metres for the embankment project was 50% complete, thus, resulting in the federal government’s additional allocation of about RM70 million.
Earlier, Pan Borneo Highway unit head of the Sarawak Public Works Department Awang Mohamad Fadillah Awang Redzuan briefed Nanta on the latest status of the highway project in the area.
According to Awang Mohamad Fadillah, the construction work for the stone embankment, which started on April 8, 2022, would increase its stability for the LPB construction as well as reduce the construction time.
Nanta was also informed that, so far, the overall LPB project was 88.5% completed. – Bernama, February 6, 2023
