NABAWAN: The upgrading of the Sapulut road to Pagalungan town here with an approximate cost of RM380 million is in full swing.
Nabawan District Public Works Department (JKR) engineer, Ahmad Fairuz Yunus said the physical work progress up to mid-June 2024 reached 63.01 percent.
He said, the road upgrade of approximately 38km is expected to be ready by July 2025.
“However, it depends on weather conditions because the work cannot be done especially in steep locations,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pagalungan Sub-District Chief Philip Antugi said the villages will enjoy economic spinoffs when the construction is completed because good road networks are the lifeblood of all sectors of development.
“When the paving of this road is completed, it will contribute to agricultural development and other economic activities such as retail business and so on,” he said.
It also contributes to tourism as the area is about to receive an overflow of development following the relocation of Indonesia’s capital, Nusantara.
Residents will have the opportunity to run a homestay business as a source of income.
Philip is confident that once the Sapulut-Pagalungan road is completed, it will boost development and generate income for the villagers.
“Prior to this, the Pagalungan sub-district was cut off from other districts because the road network was bad as it used former logging roads that were often cut off,” he said.
The completion would enable connectivity to other districts in addition to shortening travel time.
“In the long term”, he said, “the Pagalungan road - to Indonesia’s Kalimantan will also be built through the Bantul Village which will become a Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security (CIQS) complex,”.
A Daily Express survey found works being carried out briskly and the paving almost half completed.
However, there are two locations where works are quite slow because they are steep, hilly or rocky.
