Bersatu, Country Heights roads being looked into
Published on: Friday, November 19, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "Bersatu, Country Heights roads being looked into")
The poor condition of Jalan Bersatu.
The Public Works Department (PWD) is checking on the condition of Jalan Bersatu while a developer is in the process of attending to the damaged sections of the roads around Country Heights Apartments.This follows separate complaints from a Luyang driver and a Penampang apartment-owner about the inconvenience caused by the potholes and dirt on these stretches.
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A PWD spokesman said it was aware of the development which was coming up along one part of Jalan Bersatu.
“A team from our Kota Kinabalu branch will be sent to determine if there is any basis for the motorist’s claims,” he said.
He said the agency would also have to ascertain if the developer had permission to use the road to access the construction site.
“A way-leave would have to have been granted for the individual’s contractors to use the stretch if this was so.
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This road inside Country Heights being dug out to make pipes installation possible.
“He/ she would have to have agreed to several conditions, including those involving the upkeep of the road, prior to receiving this approval.”
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The spokesman said the developer would be reminded of this and asked to make good on his/ her word.
“He/ she will be expected to resurface the stretch once the project is completed”
In the meantime, he said, the company would be instructed to have gravel poured over the damaged sections and grade the road to offer drivers some temporary relief.
“If need be, a notice to this affect will be sent to the management.”
He said PWD officers would check on the condition of the stretch from time to time to determine whether the developer had complied with the agency’s instructions.
YUK of Luyang said the potholes which had formed in Jalan Bersatu were a hassle to motorists.
“Drivers, especially those who live in Taman Kim Leng and Jesselton Condominiums, wind up scraping the undercarriage of their vehicles whenever they go over the damaged sections of the road,” she said.
“The potholes have become so numerous that road-users can no longer swerve to avoid them.”
She said this damage might have been caused by lorries travelling to and from a construction site along the stretch.
“I suspect that this is a result of the weight of the heavy vehicles using the road.”
Workers patching up potholes inside Country Heights with gravel.
Yuk said the lorries had also soiled the stretch. As a result, the road became muddy, during a downpour, and dusty when the weather was sunny, according to her.
“I fear that the soil left behind on the stretch might be washed into the drains and clog up these structures.”
She was of the opinion that poor condition of the road was hazardous to motorists and hoped the local authorities would act before anyone came to harm.
“I have voiced my concerns to City Hall but, so far, nothing has been done to improve the condition of the stretch.”
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department confirmed that the road was damaged and muddy during an inspection earlier this month.
“However, we are helpless to intervene as the stretch is not under our maintenance,” he said. “The driver’s grievance has been forwarded to the PWD.”
Meanwhile, the management company (MC) for Country Heights Apartments had patched up many of the potholes inside the compound with crusher-run and was trying to deal with the damaged sections of the road between blocks 3H and 3I.
A worker clearing weeds and mud from a sheltered car park.
A MC spokesman said a preliminary investigation in September revealed that the damage was caused by the water which ponded on the road during a downpour.
“We are in the midst of replacing the pipes beneath the road so that the run-off can be more effectively channelled away to the nearest monsoon drain,” he said.
“The stretch has been partially excavated to install new perforated pipes. The same will later be done in the other section.”
He said the road would be resurfaced from end to end once the drainage problem had been addressed.
“We hope to have a fresh layer of asphalt applied to the road by early next year.”
STAN of Penampang bemoaned the sorry state of the road, near his apartment block, which he said was full of potholes.
“The MC staff assured me in March that the stretch would be repaired but has been very relaxed in keeping their word,” he said.
He was also unhappy about the lack of maintenance carried out on the car park where his unit was located.
Stan said the surface of the road beneath the shelters was encrusted with layers of mud which became slippery during a downpour.
“I have missed falling multiple times when it rains.
Potholes on this stretch at block 3H and 3I causing damage to tenants’ vehicles.
“It did strike me that some elderly resident or expectant mum might easily come to harm if they stumbled and fell while walking to and from their cars.”
Stan furnished Hotline with the location of his apartment which was forwarded to the MC.
The MC spokesman said action to attend to the road had been held up by the implementation of Enhanced Movement Control Orders at the property, as well as the inclement weather which the district had been experiencing over the past few months.
He said the firm would arrange to have the sheltered parking bays cleaned from time to time.
“Our maintenance staff will get rid of any dirt and mud which may be causing the road surface here to become slippery.”
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