KUNDASANG: The bypass road from Kundasang to Ranau is in dire need of urgent attention.
In view of the major landslide some weeks ago which cut off a sector of the Sandakan to Kota Kinabalu highway at the Kundasang area, the Government has been urged to ensure that the alternative bypass road be given urgent attention.
“It has been around 3 weeks since the landslide and the completion date for remedial works seems to be still some time away. That is understandable because the damage caused by the collapse of the hillside and road was very severe,” said Taren Sunil Manoharan, the president of Sandakan Indian Association, who was among the many people taking their families for year-end holidays to Ranau and Kota Kinabalu.
“I urge our State Government to take prompt action to ensure the safety of motorists who are now forced to take the bypass road from Kundasang to Ranau,” said Taren Sunil.
“As it is now, the alternative road which is unsealed, is quite slippery and I myself witnessed a few cars and light trucks stuck in the mud by the roadside at several places. Obviously the vehicles could not be controlled due to the slippery road surface, especially where it has been raining,” he added.
He also said that there were numerous potholes and huge road depressions at several sectors that pose a hazard especially to those driving smaller vehicles.
“Although it was heartening to see drivers and passengers coming out from their vehicles to help fellow motorists whose vehicles were stuck, I believe that the authorities in charge of road maintenance there should also be giving a helping hand.
Maybe they or their contractors could station their workers and equipment along bad stretches of the road to help road-users who are in need,” he suggested.
He was also told by some villagers that when it was dry, the airborne dust from the unsealed road tend to create a nuisance for the kampung people. Taren Sunil suggested stationing a water tanker near roadside villages to spray water every now and then so as to control the dust – until such time when the road has been fully sealed.
“In fact it would be a good idea to upgrade the road to proper JKR standards for the benefit of road users as well as the villagers living there. With the mountainous areas in Kundasang very prone to soil erosion, the bypass road should be upgraded to a reasonable level of safety.
In fact multiple smaller routes should be made available for connectivity and also provide tourists with a different experience and perspective of the popular Mount Kinabalu tourist area,” Taren Sunil further suggested.
“Meanwhile, for a start, please urgently install some lights at the entrance of the bypass road. The road junction there is awfully dark and very dangerous for those driving through at night,” he pleaded.
Meanwhile BS is made to understand that the new road linking Telipok to Randagong connecting to the Tambunan-Ranau road is now passable. Our reps who took that road going back to KK from Ranau last Wednesday saw many vehicles from KK direction using that roads.
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