Sabah to be fully connected by road by 2030, says Musa Aman

The chief minister says the Pan Borneo Highway will serve as the spine of this network and that the road network will unlock the full potential of the Sabah hinterland.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is expected to be fully connected by a road network by 2030, Chief Minister Musa Aman said.

The 2,000-kilometre long Pan Borneo Highway, stretching from Telok Melano at the southwestern tip of Sarawak to Serudong in Sabah across Brunei, will act as the network spine.

The Borneo Post quoted Musa Aman as saying: “This vital road connectivity will attract more investors participating in various development projects, thus further unlocking the potential of more parts of the hinterland that will then help to further drive the economic activities for the state.

“We will expect a hive of economic activities that will thrive, and that will be necessarily and amply supported by infrastructure and utility projects, such as electrical power supply and water distribution works.”

Musa said this in a speech read by Deputy Chief Minister Raymond Tan Shu Kiah at the Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) Roadshow 2017 and the MoU signing ceremony between BEM and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here yesterday.

Musa called on engineering practitioners to tap into the potential provided by the comprehensive implementation of various development programmes and projects by the state government.

Musa was quoted as saying that engineering teams could play key roles in projects to improve the connectivity of the state by constructing more roads and bridges, and projects to upgrade the sanitary system and expand water supply.

They also had a role in the development of infrastructure and facilities for the tourism industry, and projects to improve the agricultural sector, he added.

Musa reminded engineers of the utmost importance of quality and safety, and that projects should be undertaken with the highest standards of professionalism.

This was especially important given the recent spate of building failures and shortcomings in the construction industry, he told engineers.

According to the Borneo Post report, Musa lauded BEM’s liberalisation of the engineering services.

Among those present were federal Deputy Minister of Works Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin, Public Works Department Sabah director Amrullah Kamal, BEM president Dr Roslan Md Taha and UMS vice chancellor Professor Dr D Kamarudin D Mudin. -FMT