SANDAKAN – The treacherous road leading to Mile 32 on Jalan Telupid has worsened over the past week after being left unrepaired, resulting in a massive traffic jam in the area.
During the Christmas week, the run-down condition of the sole road linking Sabah’s west coast districts, including state capital Kota Kinabalu, to east coast districts such as Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau, was reported to have resulted in vehicles being stranded at the roadside due to punctured tyres and broken rims caused by poor road conditions.
Social media users in the past two days have shared that the road has worsened, with numerous vehicles unable to cross, resulting in a massive traffic jam from Telupid to the Mile 32 Checkpoint.
Facebook user Win Gabungantrans, a lorry driver, has told Scoop that the section of the road, which typically takes about an hour and a half to traverse, now requires three to four hours.
Moreover, he said that the road had contributed to an accident involving two vehicles today, exacerbating the traffic jam.
“How absurd is this? Cars are stranded at the side of the road, some having a hard time crossing, causing serious traffic jams. How are we supposed to remain patient with this kind of road? It is not like we have an alternative road that we can use,” he said.
A local sales representative in the oil and gas sector, Hing Dick Khiang, said he used the road at least once a month to meet his customers in Kota Kinabalu.
“This stretch of poorly maintained road not only poses a risk to the safety of the drivers here, but it also impacts the connectivity within the state, which would greatly affect our economy. How can businesses run smoothly in Sabah if the connectivity between east and west is in such a sorry condition?” he asked.
This stretch of road made headlines in 2022 due to its poor condition. During that time, the Sabah government declared that the road had “expired”, explaining that it would not undergo reconstruction because it was slated for replacement by the coming Pan Borneo Highway.
Despite this announcement, the government did take some action to temporarily repair potholes on the road, however, these efforts seemed to have halted after October of the same year.
The Pan Borneo Highway project on the said road is currently ongoing, but the existing road is getting worse with more potholes appearing along the route.
Meanwhile, Sabah Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya, when contacted, said that contractors for Work Packages 28, 29 and 30 of the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway Project (from Mile 32, Sandakan to Kg Bauto, Telupid) were actively repairing the damaged stretch of road, including several areas near the Beluran junction.
He clarified that these repairs involved heavy machinery, resulting in temporary traffic jams.
“The efforts (to repair this road) are ongoing following continuous heavy rain that has made the road condition worse.
“A total of five maintenance teams with heavy machinery have been dispatched to the areas with problems.
“The maintenance work is expected to continue for two weeks to repair the damage,” he added. – January 10, 2024