Phase two of Pan Borneo highway to start soon

KUCHING: With the RM16bil phase one of Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak project reaching the tail end of completion, construction work is to start soon for the phase two project linking Limbang and Lawas via Brunei.

The 88km road project, also known as Northern Coastal Highway, has already been agreed to by the Brunei government, according to Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

He said the project will start this year.

Besides the phase two Pan Borneo Sarawak project, also to be accelerated in its construction is the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) of which the phase one is currently being implemented, said Awang Tengah while on his Chinese New Year’s visits with community leaders in Limbang last week.

SSLR phase one is a 77km stretch from Simpang Gelugus to Long Lopeng in Lawas. The RM1.13bil project was awarded to Samling Resources Sdn Bhd in 2021.

Kimlun Corporation Bhd, via subsidiary Kimplun Sdn Bhd, was appointed as the main contractor for the construction and maintenance work of the proposed road scheduled to be completed by 2026.

Currently, travellers between Gelugus and Long Lopeng have to rely on logging roads built by timber companies.

Phase two of Pan Borneo Highway, which connects Long Lopeng and Miri, will be implemented by various government agencies, including the Regional Corridor Development Authority and the Rural Development Ministry.

The 425km SSLR project, which will connect 14 major towns in Sarawak and Sabah from Miri, is originally targeted for completion in 2026.

Upon completion and open to traffic, the SSLR will save travellers time to commute between Sarawak and Sabah, without having to pass through Brunei and the immigration and customs checkpoints on the Sarawak-Brunei border.

The phase two of Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak and SSLR project are reported to cost the federal government a combined RM12bil.

The phase one Pan Borneo Highway Sarawak project, which involves 11 work packages, were awarded, among others, to several major Sarawak construction firms on a 70:30 joint venture with their counterparts from Peninsular Malaysia.

The project was originally slated for completion in 2021 but was extended to September 2022 following the termination of Lebuhraya Utara Sdn Bhd (LBU) as the project delivery partner in February 2020.

After LBU’s termination, the Sarawak Public Works Department took over as the project’s supervising officer.

The project has been further delayed due to disruptions caused by movement control order imposed by the government to curb the spread of Covid-19 pandemic, as well as labour shortage faced by the contractors.

Most of the work packages are expected to be completed and opened to traffic by later this year. Completed stretches from Kuching to Sibu have been opened to traffic on a staggered basis.

According to Awang Tengah, under planning now is a road to connect the entry point of the Sarawak-Indonesia border to Long Lopeng. Once built, the new road will be integrated to the SSLR.