PWD to monitor repaired Kinarut road
Published on: Wednesday, May 24, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
A motor-grader is used to help spread the gravel evenly over one of the affected sections of Jalan Labak.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has reinstated a Kinarut road and will periodically keep an eye on the stretch to ensure that it does not become damaged again.City Hall has also vowed to make similar checks of a road in one part of Kota Kinabalu and deal with any irregularities accordingly.ADVERTISEMENT
This follows feedback from two motorists about the potholes which had formed on Jalan Labak, in Kinarut, and around a taxi-stand, off Jalan Tugu, in the Kg Air area of the State Capital.
Another driver was unhappy about the dust and mud which soiled her vehicle when she travelled to and from her home on Jalan Bersatu.
These individuals provided Hotline with the location of the affected sections of these respective roads. This information was forwarded to the PWD and City Hall.
Lorries moving to and from a quarry in this part of Kinarut are suspected to have contributed to the poor condition of this stretch.
A spokesman for one of the Department’s concessionaires said two portions of Jalan Labak were found to be in need of attention during a preliminary inspection earlier this year.ADVERTISEMENT
“One of our senior staff based in the district and a PWD officer went to the site in March,” he said.
“They observed that the damage in both sections was beyond routine maintenance.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The pair noticed a substantial number of lorries moving to and from the quarry in the area at the time, according to him.
“Our personnel had a word with the operator of the premises that same day about reducing the loads being transported by his/ her lorries.”
The spokesman said the company later proposed that “pavement strengthening and resurfacing” be implemented and sought the necessary funding to do so.
“The Department approved our request late last month. A team of workers began repairs on Friday,” he said on May 23.
He said gravel was poured over the two portions which collectively covered about 300 metres of the stretch.
“A motor-grader facilitated efforts to spread the stones evenly before a compactor came in to level this material.
“Our team began resealing the affected sections with premix on Monday.”
The spokesman said Jalan Labak was one of several roads around Papar, which would be rehabilitated by the company.
“We have a supervisor who goes around the district each week to check on the various stretches under our care.
“Any irregularities are dealt with, on a case by case basis, depending on the severity of the damage observed.”
Meanwhile, City Hall has called on the government concessionaire to step up efforts to maintain the roads around the State Capital and is keeping tabs on the cleanliness of Jalan Bersatu, especially around the part of the road where a residential property is coming up.
A spokesman for the agency’s Traffic and Transport Department said its personnel went to Jalan Tugu after Api-Api Assemblywoman Datuk Christina Liew highlighted the poor condition of the road around the taxi-stand.
A taxi-driver had apparently drawn her attention to the damaged road surface near the shelter while she was on a walk-about of the Kg Air area earlier this month, according to him.
“Our staff found evidence of potholes around the taxi-stand during their inspection,” he said.
“However, the damaged sections must have been patched up shortly before this inspection as the premix was still wet.”
A staff of City Hall’s Traffic and Transport Department notes the newly patched up sections of the road near the taxi-stand in Kg Air.
The agency’s Engineering Department also failed to find anything amiss with Jalan Bersatu during the checks which were made on the road, according to another spokesman.
He said the Department’s staff went to this part of Luyang on three separate occasions over a one month-period.
“They noted that the stretch had been newly widened by the PWD,” he said.
“No traces of earth were found on the road surface which could have potentially dirtied any vehicles which passed this way.”
The spokesman said, during their checks, City Hall personnel did not see any lorries leaving or entering the site for the up-and-coming development.
“Nevertheless, we will continue to monitor the goings-on here from time to time and do what we can to minimise any nuisance caused by soil which falls on the road.”
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
