By MOHD IZHAM BIN HASHIM
KOTA KINABALU: The State Government has been urged to implement immediate measures to ease traffic congestion caused by delays in the Pan Borneo Highway project.
“The public should not be left to endure daily traffic gridlock for another two years without mitigation measures,” Tanjung Keramat Assemblyman Shah Alfie Yahya Ahmad Shah said during the State Legislative Assembly sitting yesterday.
Speaking during the debate on the Supplementary Supply (2026) Bill, Shah Alfie said the additional allocation to the Public Works Department (JKR) should be used to implement traffic mitigation measures to ease congestion along Sabah’s West Coast corridor.
He said the congestion stemmed from construction under the Pan Borneo Highway Project Package WP06, noting that JKR had received an additional RM7.3 million under Head S36 and RM11.2 million under Head S37.
Shah Alfie said motorists travelling along the main Putatan route to Kota Kinabalu continued to face chronic traffic congestion, particularly along the stretch in front of Lok Kawi Camp, where he said thousands of vehicles were caught in traffic for hours each day.
To ease the bottleneck, he called for the immediate construction of paved temporary alternative routes, stricter regulation of construction vehicles during peak hours and the resurfacing of roads damaged by heavy construction vehicles. He also sought an update on the proposed Tanjung Aru–Kuala Papar Coastal Highway, describing it as an important long-term solution for Putatan.
Turning to water supply issues, Shah Alfie urged the Sabah State Water Department (JANS) to ensure its RM201 million supplementary allocation under Head S34—the largest allocation in the supplementary budget—was translated into infrastructure improvements and better service delivery.
He said chronic water supply disruptions and low water pressure continued to affect between 10,000 and 25,000 residents in Tanjung Keramat and Putatan despite interim measures such as expanding the Kasigui Water Treatment Plant.
“The public does not judge the success of a policy by the billions we announce, but by whether their taps receive a regular supply of clean water, whether roads are free from congestion, and whether their homes and businesses are safe from flooding,” he said.
Shah Alfie also called on JANS to immediately replace ageing pipelines, repair faulty booster pump systems and provide a clear timeline on when normal water pressure would be restored.
On flood mitigation, he urged the Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS) to make full use of its RM27 million supplementary allocation under Head S29 by prioritising preventive maintenance over reactive cleanup efforts.
He said Putatan’s location between the Moyog and Petagas rivers made the area prone to flash floods when heavy rainfall coincided with high tides, and called for routine river dredging, drain clearing and the construction of flood mitigation bunds.
“We need to act before major flooding strikes, in line with the principle that prevention is better than cure,” he said.
Shah Alfie also proposed that part of the Ministry of Youth, Sports Development and Creative Economy’s RM23 million supplementary allocation under Head S46 be channelled towards the construction of community sports courts and improvements to street lighting in Kampung Contoh, Kampung Muhibbah and Kampung Sri Pandan, following safety concerns raised by residents during night walkabouts.
He further urged the State Government to utilise the RM1.3 million supplementary allocation for the Putatan District Office under Head S23 to improve waste management and public cleanliness, saying the measures were necessary as Putatan continued to expand as a satellite township.
Shah Alfie said motorists travelling along the main Putatan route to Kota Kinabalu continued to face chronic traffic congestion.
