BINTULU: Works Senior Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof was on the field to monitor the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway Project Work Package Contract (WPC) 10, from Mile 5 to Sungai Tangap, at the Nyabau Interchange, on Saturday (August 14)
He was there also to get feedback on constraints and improvement measures being taken to ensure the smooth implementation of the project which was affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Fadillah said among the challenges faced by the ministry and the contractor was ensuring the project continued during the pandemic period.
“The impact of pandemic and the implementation of the movement control order (MCO) have delayed the project as well as increased costs of the building materials,” he explained.
He said this at a press conference after a briefing on the WPC10 project by the Pan Borneo Highway Unit manager from the Public Works Department (JKR), Zulkifli Hashim.
The senior minister added that the pandemic had also affected the manpower as only 60 percent of the workers were allowed on construction sites during phase one of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) as well as 80 percent for the second and third phases of the plan.
“The project developer is also facing difficulties in taking employees to the construction site during the ongoing pandemic.
“In addition to that, the standard operating procedures (SOPs) are different in each division based on the latest status of the epidemic in each area,” said Fadillah.
He added the federal government was committed to ensuring the allocations of major infrastructure projects in the country were adequate as well as working closely with the state government.
He added that various mitigation plans and continuous follow-up actions were being implemented under the supervision of JKR Sarawak as the project supervisor with the assistance of a project management consultant (PMC).
Fadillah added that various initiatives in dealing with the residents along the Pan Borneo Highway had been implemented.
He said a series of road safety briefings such as on the offence of making U-turns in unauthorised areas were held to raise awareness of the dangers and risks of accidents that might occur.
“Each work package contractor also sets up a patrol team that will take action if there are complaints from highway users,” he added.
JKR Sarawak had also opened a Facebook account to make it easier for users to channel their complaints regarding the highway construction, added Fadillah.
Also present during Fadilah’s visit to the highway construction site was Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Integrity and Ombudsman) and Jepak assemblyman Datuk Talib Zulpilip.
