To begin with, an initial sum of RM100mil would be made available soon and shared equally between the two states, Shaziman told reporters here.
He said for Sarawak, the 217km stretch between Sibu and Bintulu and the 207km stretch from Bintulu to Miri would be given priority.
"This is because these stretches are being used daily by many commercial and heavy vehicles rushing to Bintulu and other ports in the state's central region.
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"We will construct overtaking lanes at critical areas in these stretches, especially at steep or mountain areas, to allow ordinary vehicles to overtake the heavy ones smoothly.
"We will not wait for the conclusion of a current study by the Economic Planning Unit which is still studying the location for between 90 to 100 overtaking lanes along the highway, estimated to cost RM400mil," he said.
Shaziman said the stretches would be resurfaced while accident prone areas would be identified and improved.
Some might question why the government had chosen to do only upgrading work and not turn the road into a dual carriage way but such a decision was made because the current traffic volume at about 10,000 vehicles daily does not warrant such a need, he said.
"As a practice, we will construct dual carriageways where traffic volume is at 20,000 vehicles daily," he said adding that there was also a lack of response from private contractors to come forward and build a highway in the state.
"Once a highway is built by a private contractor, road users will have to pay toll to use them and for their maintenance," he said.
