KOTA KINABALU: Immediate repairs are to be made on the stretch of road in Kinabatangan where a garbage truck driver was crushed to death by his vehicle after he was believed to have tried to avoid a pothole, says Deputy Chief Minister III Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
Shahelmey said he had discussed the issue with the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) director.
“The JKR director has ordered the road concessionaire to mobilise its workforce and undertake repair works so that the road conditions will be safer for use,” said the state Works Minister yesterday.
It is believed that the victim, Mohamad Izuan Mambasang, 39, tried to avoid a pothole at Jalan Kampung Jaya Baru near SK Sentosa Jaya when the accident happened at around 11am on Saturday.
News reports of the incident quickly went viral amid the issue of bad road conditions in the state.
Shahelmey explained that the road is part of the Pan Borneo Highway network, which would be upgraded tentatively this year.
He said the road structure is decrepit and could only be improved through a major upgrade under the Pan Borneo Highway project.
“The weather factor and the high volume of traffic have added to the strain on the road, which has also gone long beyond its structural design time frame.
“However, while waiting for this Pan Borneo Highway package to start, the JKR, through its concessionaire, has been instructed to undertake the necessary maintenance and repair works,” he said.
