Papar: Efforts to improve traffic flow along the Papar-Kota Kinabalu route are being strengthened with the immediate implementation of the Jalan Lok Kawi upgrading project, stretching from the Sabindo Roundabout to Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Kinarut here.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister and Papar Member of Parliament Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali announced that the project has commenced and is expected to be completed by March 29, 2028. The project, eagerly awaited by local residents, began following the Letter of Acceptance on March 30, with the symbolic handover to the contractor taking place today.
"Travel from Papar to Kota Kinabalu should take around 40 minutes, but currently it can take between one and a half to two hours even outside peak hours. Therefore, this project is the solution to that problem, and the government has allocated the necessary funds," Armizan stated after a briefing on the status of key infrastructure projects in the Papar parliamentary constituency at the Papar District Office. The project will widen the road from a two-lane carriageway to a dual four-lane road, and will include the construction of pedestrian flyovers, installation of street lighting and traffic lights, and the upgrading of three roundabouts into signalised intersections.
Armizan detailed that the project scope also involves the construction of three bus stops, two motorcycle lay-bys, covered walkways to schools, as well as utility relocation works and land acquisition. The project is funded by the Ministry of Works and implemented under the supervision of the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR).
Among the immediate priorities are resolving land acquisition issues involving 43 lots and 24 existing structures, as well as relocating utilities such as electricity, water, and telecommunications. Armizan emphasized, "I do not want delays in resolving these fundamental matters to prevent physical works from commencing promptly."
Efforts to realize the project began in 2021 during Armizan's tenure in the Sabah Chief Minister's Office, before it was listed as a Federal Government development project in 2023. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim also announced the project's implementation during a working visit to Kinarut, Papar on May 31, 2023.
The briefing also covered three other key infrastructure projects being discussed, namely the construction of the Jalan Pengalat-Papar bypass, the building of SMK Gana Papar, and the proposed construction of Papar Bridge 2 at Kilometre 20.4.