Sabah Pan Borneo: Project Management More Complex Compared To Sarawak, Phase 1B Progressing Smoothly

KUCHING : The implementation of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway Phase 1B project, which involves 19  packages so far, is progressing smoothly despite facing various challenges including land acquisition and utility relocation.

Works Minister, Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, said project management in Sabah is more complex compared to Sarawak due to the larger number of packages as well as challenging geographical factors.

He said in Sarawak, the entire Pan Borneo alignment, which is of similar length to Sabah, is only divided into 11 packages, thus facilitating project implementation and monitoring.

“The entire Sabah Pan Borneo Phase 1A and 1B project, meanwhile, involves 35 packages, thus requiring more meticulous management in terms of contracts, coordination and monitoring,” he said after officiating the Malaysian Regional Geotechnical Engineering Conference here today.

The programme involved 33 speakers from various agencies and organisations, in addition to featuring 45 exhibition booths participated in by service providers, suppliers and key players in the geotechnical industry.

Themed “Strong Foundations, Sustainable Future”, the conference focused on four main areas of geotechnical engineering, namely pioneering innovation in geotechnics and site investigation, slope stability and landslide mitigation, foundation engineering, and ground improvement.

Nanta said the main challenges in Sabah are land acquisition and utility relocation issues, which are more significant compared to Sarawak, causing project implementation to take a longer period of time.

He said Phase 1A, which started earlier, has still not been fully completed, while Phase 1B, which was launched less than two years ago, has already shown progress.

“Out of the 15 main packages being focused on, the ministry targets 10 packages to be completed this year. The remaining 17 packages are expected to be fully completed between 2028 and 2029 according to the schedule set,” he said.

Nanta said Sabah’s terrain, which involves highland and hilly areas, is also among the factors adding to the challenges of project implementation.

Commenting on the utility relocation issue, he said related works involving Sabah Electricity, the Sabah State Water Department and Telekom Malaysia have commenced after the issue of subcontractor appointment was successfully resolved.

On the possibility of a rise in construction material costs due to ongoing global economic uncertainty and the conflict in the Middle East, Nanta said the government, through the Public Works Department (JKR) and the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), has presented short-term, medium-term and long-term strategies to the National Economic Action Council to address the issue.

He said, so far, the increase in construction material prices is still at a level that can be absorbed by the industry and has not yet affected the implementation of government projects, but the situation will continue to be monitored, especially if the prolonged conflict disrupts supply chains and fuel costs.

“Infrastructure development projects must continue because the construction sector is among the main drivers of the country’s economic growth, and any delay could affect economic momentum,” he said.

Berita Harian