8 packages of Sabah Pan Borneo Highway to open before year-end

Sabah's Pan Borneo Highway project, spanning 177km, will open progressively before the end of the year to allow citizens to benefit from it sooner, according to Dr Joachim Gunsalam, Deputy Chief Minister of Sabah. The opening of completed sections will proceed while construction continues in other areas. This decision comes following the National Audit Officer's 2026 Report 2, which raised concerns about the project in its October 5th findings.

Focusing on resolving the issue, Dr Gunsalam emphasized that the people should be able to use better roads as soon as possible. Six 135.8km sections have already received the Certificate of Completion for Use (CPO), covering routes from Sindumin to Beaufort and Bongawan to Tebobon and Moynod to Sapi Nangoh. As of September 25th, four 41.5km sections were fully completed, including WP05 Papar to Donggongon, WP15 Tawau to Semporna, WP21 Lahad Datu Bypass, and WP27 Kampung Lot M to Sandakan Batu 32.

Dr Gunsalam stated that eight sections, totaling 161.8km, are expected to receive the Practical Certificate of Completion (CPC) in 2027, confirming the finalization of the entire construction work. He noted that the 11.4% progress reported by the National Audit Officer refers to four out of the 35 sections that were fully handed over by September 31st.

Physical progress on site as of September 25th reached 89.54% for Phase 1A, 38.87% for WP09, and 24.76% for Phase 1B. Infrastructure clearance status shows 99.79% for Phase 1A, 96.8% for WP09, and 79.43% for Phase 1B. Dr Gunsalam explained that delays were caused by changing the implementation model from a Project Delivery Partner (PDP) to a conventional method, which required new procurement and contract processes.

The audit's criticism of the unauthorized RM513.99 million expenditure over the approval limit was acknowledged by Dr Gunsalam, and his office is committed to implementing a clear and timely improvement mechanism for such processes without compromising administrative integrity.