KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof has expressed confidence that the Works Ministry will remain committed to completing the Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) project as soon as possible with the quality standards and budget previously agreed upon.
He said the project is a beacon of hope for the people of Sabah and Sarawak because it is a game changer that not only facilitates travel but also provides comfort, safety and more importantly economic growth for the two states.
“I anticipate that Phase 1 of the project in Sarawak will be completed in 2025, except for Miri, and we will then open the phase connecting to Brunei.
“I expect it will take another five years when the tender process is completed,” he said when appearing as a guest on Bernama Radio’s Jendela Fikir programme here today.
Meanwhile, Fadillah said Phase 1A of the project in Sabah is now 85 per cent complete and is expected to be completed in 2025, while Phase 1B will commence after the tender is finalised and it is expected to take five years to complete.
The Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project involving 35 work packages along 706 kilometres, starting from the border of Sabah and Sarawak in Sindumin up to Tawau, started in July 2016.
As for Phases 2 and 3 of the project in Sabah and Sarawak, Fadillah said that it is expected to take longer due to the topographical differences between the two states, which could necessitate different construction techniques and higher allocations.
“Despite the fact that the design and quality standards remain the same, these differences necessitate different implementation (construction) methods,” he said.
As such, Fadillah encouraged contractors to forge partnerships with experienced companies from the peninsula, as well as Sabah and Sarawak in order to carry out the project.
“It enables the sharing of expertise, knowledge, skills and technology (between the contractors) and the companies,” he said.
On May 31, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported to have said that action was being taken to ensure that the Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah and Sarawak could be implemented speedily for the benefit of the people in the states.
