KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5 — Phase 1B of the Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) Sabah project is expected to be completed within five years, said Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

"For Phase 1B (LPB Sabah), it has not started yet because the agreement was just signed. Now, they (contractors or companies that signed the agreement for the project in early September) are doing preliminary work, not construction yet.

"It will take, maybe, around five years to complete the entire Phase 1B of the LPB in Sabah from now,” he told the media after officiating the 12th Malaysia Road Conference and the 5th International Road Federation (IRF) Asia-Pacific Regional Congress here today.

Phase 1B has been divided into 19 out of 35 work packages for LPB Sabah Phase 1, with the scope involving the construction of a new federal road from Kota Belud to Kudat and the improvement of the federal road from Ranau to Lahad Datu, covering a distance of 370 kilometres (km).

On the 12th Malaysia Road Conference, Nanta said in his speech that he supported the theme of the conference "Driving Innovation for Better Roads”.

He said the theme aligned with the government’s hopes regarding continuous innovation and the use of technology in implementing work or projects for effective delivery as contained under the National Construction Plan (NCP) 2030.

He added that the NCP2030 had identified several important measures to transform the construction sector that can also be applied to the road construction industry, with one of them being the element of good governance.

He said that element needs to be the basis for project management, especially in terms of safety, quality and productivity because governance-related matters often cause project delays or failures. — Bernama