Fadillah said the government is examining the method and maintenance model with central agencies by taking into account the scope, costs and level of service of the appropriate maintenance.
KUCHING (July 30): The method and model for the maintenance of Pan Borneo Highway (PBH) in Sarawak will be finalised before the defect liability period (DLP) ends in 2025, said Senior Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
He said the government is examining the method and maintenance model with central agencies by taking into account the scope, costs and level of service (LOS) of the appropriate maintenance.
“For the work packages and sections that have been completed and are still under the DLP period, the maintenance of the PBH will be implemented by the respective contractors under the supervision of the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak as the superintending officer,” he said in a written reply to questions raised by Tanjong Manis MP Yusof Abdul Wahab in the Dewan Rakyat.
The latter had asked who would be responsible for the maintenance once the PBH project is completed, and whether the maintenance will be privatised.
Fadillah also said that as of May this year, the progress status of PBH (Phase 1) from Telok Melano to Miri which is 786 kilometres long is 84 per cent completed, and is expected to be fully completed in the first quarter of 2023.
He said several packages and sections had been opened to road users in stages since 2019.
“They are the Telok Melano-Sematan package which was fully completed on Jan 6, 2019; Julau section of work Package 7 from Bintangor junction to Julau junction was completed on Oct 28, 2021; Serian section for work Package 3 from the Serian Roundabout to Balai Ringin was completed on Dec 4, 2021; and the Nyabau section of work Package 10, Simpang Nyabau to Sungai Tangap was completed on Jan 26 this year,” he said.
Fadillah said that like other government projects, the PBH project performance was also affected by the lack of workers and building materials following the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the global economy.
“Various mitigation plans are being implemented, among others, the realignment of the construction schedule and Extension of Time (EOT) to ensure the smoothness and continuity of this project,” he added.