Kota Kinabalu: The construction of 15 packages in Phase 1 of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project is scheduled for completion by the end of next year, said deputy chief minister Shahelmey Yahya.
He said the overall work progress of the 15 packages has reached 79.06%, with two packages already completed, namely Package 5 involving the upgrading of a road from Donggongon to Jalan Papar Spur, which opened in November last year.
He said Package 27 had also been completed, involving a road from Kampung Lot M to Sandakan Batu 32, which opened in August last year.
Shahelmey, who is also the state’s works minister, said two other packages, namely Package 15 involving Jalan Tawau-Semporna, and Package 21 involving Jalan Lahad Datu Bypass, are expected to be opened in the middle of this year.
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According to Shahelmey, there are a total of 35 packages in Phase 1 of the project, with work on the remaining 20 packages expected to start before the end of this year.
He said implementation of the 20 packages, which is now in the pre-tendering stage, would be in the east coast area.
The Sabah Pan Borneo Highway, stretching 706km from the border of Sabah and Sarawak in Sindumin up to Tawau, started in July 2016.
When tabling Budget 2023 last February, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced an allocation of RM20 billion to speed up the construction of the highway and also the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road project, stretching more than 1,000km.
Meanwhile, Shahelmey denied claims that the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway was the main cause of flash floods, saying all road planning and design had taken into account various aspects, including the drainage system.
“The occurrence of flash floods is likely to be caused by poor maintenance of the drains and higher than usual rainfall,” he said.
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