Kota Kinabalu: The deteriorating road conditions across Sabah, where over 50pc are in a poor and severe state, demand immediate action.
State Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya said roads are graded from one to five, with one being excellent and five being severely damaged and requiring immediate repair.
“A significant portion of the roads assessed fall within categories three, four and five, requiring rehabilitation and resurfacing.
“This funding is essential to upgrade our roads beyond just routine maintenance. Many of these roads have aged beyond simple repair and require full rehabilitation,” he added.
Shahelmey said the State Government recently approved an allocation of RM285 million for rehabilitation work on several state roads under Sabah’s jurisdiction.
“For federal roads alone, we need nearly RM1 billion for repair,” he said during the launch of bitumen, cold premix and asphalt Buton products at the Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP), Thursday.
Shahelmey, who is also Deputy Chief Minister III, said adopting technology and innovative road materials could help reduce maintenance costs in the long term.
“Therefore, I fully welcome such products to be introduced in Sabah to improve the quality of future road construction work,” he said.
Regarding artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted road condition scanning, Shahelmey said the Public Works Ministry had engaged a concession company, Pembinaan Kekal Mewah, which uses AI technology for road surface scanning.
Shahelmey said he would schedule a visit to observe its implementation and effectiveness.
“For now, the Sabah Works Ministry has been conducting periodic inspections and categorising road conditions for maintenance, including patching potholes,” he said.
