'NOT FEASIBLE TO HAVE DUAL CARRIAGEWAY'

'Not feasible to have dual carriageway'

22 May 2012: IT would cost the Federal Government about RM16 billion to upgrade the single lane carriageway Pan Borneo highway to a dual carriageway, the assembly was told yesterday.

The highway, also known as the "First Trunk Road", links Sarawak with Brunei and Sabah.

Due to the cost, Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Michael Manyin Jawong told the assembly yesterday that the proposal for a dual carriageway could not be considered because the traffic volume was 10,000 vehicles per day on average.

This, he said, did not meet the criteria set, which is 20,000 vehicles per day.

He said as a temporary alternative, his ministry had proposed constructing kilometre-long overtaking lanes at eight kilometre intervals.

"A total of 95 overtaking lanes of 1km length at 8km intervals with a project cost of RM380 million had been submitted to the Federal Government for consideration."

But the Federal Government had only approved RM22.5 million towards the construction of overtaking lanes at 10 localities Manyin said.

Construction works, he said, were expected to commence in the second half of the year.