KUALA LUMPUR: The Works Ministry has assured that the Pan Borneo Highway project in East Malaysia will be completed on schedule despite some technical problems faced during the construction period.
Deputy Minister Mohd Anuar Mohd Tahir said in the event of technical cases such as sink holes and other similar cases, the Public Works Department will handle such tasks.
"We do not want such incidents to be the cause for the delay in completion of the Pan Borneo Highway.
"So, we will act fast and solve it as soon as possible so that it will not affect the highway's construction timeline and can be completed on schedule," he said when met after the opening of the Pantai Sentral flyover here yesterday.
Recently, heavy afternoon downpour has caused some of the highway routes at Kilometer 48 Jalan Bintulu-Tatau to sink and got severely damaged, affecting traffic flow in the area.
Commenting on the matter, Mohd Anuar said his ministry had identified the steep slope area during heavy downpour to be the main cause for the section to sink.
"In fact, the highway and PWDs are now actively looking into and finding potential danger locations to prevent the occurrence of landslide," he said.
The Pan Borneo Highway will connect Sabah and Sarawak through Brunei as well as the Trans-Kalimantan Highway Indonesia road network.
The 2,325-km highway is funded by the Federal Government at an estimated cost of RM29 billion providing a two-lane lane which is scheduled to be completed by 2022.
Meanwhile, in his speech at the event, Mohd Anuar said the involvement of private entities have helped the government to modernize the country's infrastructure especially through the construction of the North-South Expressway and industrial centers.
"To date, there are 29 highways with tolls that provides a total of 1,988 km of roads in Malaysia providing basic infrastructure and creating high impact connections," he said.
He said, highways and roads would need to be repaved for a period of five to seven years to maintain good condition.
"Hence, more allocations are needed for maintenance in ensuring road infrastructure is safer and convenient for use," he said.