Road in front of Sipitang school repaired: PWD
Published on: Wednesday, October 25, 2023
By: Sidney Skinner
The concessionaire’s staff in the midst of levelling the gravel on the road shoulder in Sipitang.
THE Public Works Department (PWD) has repaired the verge along a road in front of a Sipitang school and will keep an eye on the condition of the stretch, from time to time, to ensure that any irregularities are dealt with promptly.
A Likas rate-payer, on the other hand, hopes City Hall will consider attending to the cracks and depressions in the road leading to his neighbourhood.
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This follows feedback about the lack of maintenance carried out on Jalan Pelakat-SMK Sipitang and Lorong Burung Kelepuin.
The drivers who brought this to Hotline’s attention were fed up with the damage to the undercarriage of their vehicles. They bemoaned the inconvenience and added expenditure they had to shoulder because their cars constantly had to be taken to the workshop.
Their grievances were forwarded to the PWD and City Hall.
Motorists risk bursting their tyres on the rough edges of the road near SMK Pekan Sipitang.
A spokesman for a government concessionaire, with the former agency, said depressions were observed in one part of the road-shoulder on Jalan Pelakat-SMK Sipitang during a preliminary check earlier this month.
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“Two of our workers returned shortly thereafter, with a lorry-load of crusher-run to attend to the damage,” he said
He said the gravel was laid over the “shoulder potholes” and then this part of the verge was levelled.
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“We hope this offers road-users some relief. Similar action was taken a few months ago.”
City Hall staff noted the cracks which had split the asphalt on Lorong Burung Kelepuin.
When asked if the existing concrete walkway along the road might be extended to the area where the potholes had formed, he said the firm would have to take up this matter with the PWD.
The spokesman said scheduled maintenance was carried out on the stretch which was about 3.4 metres in length and 2 metres wide.
“We have a supervisor who goes around the district each week to check on the condition of the various stretches which are under our care.
“Any irregularities are dealt with, on a case by case basis, depending on the severity of the damage observed.”
He said the company looked after the Department’s roads from Km 36, near the boundary between Tenom and Sipitang, to Kg Melalia and onwards to Sindumin.
Meanwhile, City Hall is arranging to deal with the damaged sections of Lorong Burung Kelepuin.
A spokesman said its Road Patching Gang (RPG) went to Taman Melor, in Likas, shortly after confirming that the road was under the agency’s maintenance.
“Our RPG personnel found that the asphalt was cracked in many places,” he said.
“They noticed that depressions had formed in other parts of the road.”
He said the government concessionaire was apprised of these observations and urged to have the necessary repairs made as soon as possible.
“We called on the company to be more mindful about the condition of the stretch to minimise the potential inconvenience caused to motorists.”
AINA of Sipitang spoke out about the poor condition of a stretch she took to reach her son’s school.
She said the edges of the road had eroded away in places and depressions had formed in this part of the stretch.
She said the uneven surface was especially dangerous for road users, especially drivers of small vehicles.
“If their tyres hit these depressions, they could easily lose control of their vehicle and this could lead to a bad accident,” she said.
Aina was under the impression that the stretch had not been maintained for some time.
“I cannot understand how the local authorities could have failed to have noticed these irregularities.
“Action should be taken to repair the affected sections of the road, before something unpleasant occurs and lives are lost.”
MIKE of Likas said he had been contacting the agency, on and off for years, about the problems his housing road.
“I was made to understand, at one point, that City Hall had forwarded my grouse to the government concessionaire,” he said.
“The company’s staff was advised to inspect the road and carry out repairs, if it warranted. Nothing has come of this effort, so far”.
MIKE decried the poor upkeep of the road.
“I settle my annual assessment with City Hall promptly each year. I cannot understand why the agency has been slow to put the money, which me and my neighbours pay, to good use by improving the condition of the stretch.”
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