Kota Kinabalu: The construction of the Pan Borneo Highway project - work package six, seven and eight for the 41.7-kilometre — (km) Kota Kinabalu Outer Ring Road (KKORR) from Putatan to Berungis, Tuaran has reached 80 per cent completion.
Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) Pan Borneo Highway Sector, Construction and Monitoring Branch Assistant Director Ahmad Nazrul Madri said the road is expected to be completed next March and currently part of the route has been opened to the public, and when completed it is expected to reduce traffic congestion.
“We expect 30 per cent of motorists will use the highway from Ketiau to Tuaran without entering the city centre.
“Motorists from the East Coast and north of Sabah can also use this new route to enter Kota Kinabalu,” he said during a briefing and site visit to the Pan Borneo Highway project at Spur Road, Penampang Wednesday, adding that the construction began in Dec 2019 with the latest contract cost totalling RM915.37 million.
He also said that the work scope included the construction of a 19.6 km two-lane double route from Putatan-Kionsom Inanam as well as the 2.1-km Spur Road to Bukit Padang road, five new bridges, four new elevated interchanges and four elevated U-turns along Jalan Kota-Kinabalu-Sindumin.
Ahmad Nazrul said the highway did not only benefit motorists but also the industry as the route would connect Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) with industrial areas in Lokkawi, and the KKORR is expected to create economic spillover for the tourism sector as Bukit Kokol will be connected through the road network.
To tackle flooding, he said that contractors will also build vehicle box culverts (VBC) in the Kolopis area to speed up dispersal of floodwaters.
“It’s true we can stop flooding from happening if the river rises, but this effort will help so that floodwaters won’t remain for too long and stop the occurrence of standing waters,” he added.
