KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Public Works Department is testing innovative construction materials to enhance road maintenance, said state Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
"Routine maintenance, including temporary pothole and crack repairs, is carried out to prevent potholes from deepening, which could pose safety risks to road users.
"To enhance the maintenance, innovative construction materials such as cold mix, fibre additives made from organic and synthetic materials, as well as advanced machinery and technology are being tested by the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR).
Shahelmey, who is also Sabah deputy chief minister, said this during his ministry's winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday.
He said the routine maintenance continued to be implemented according to the planned quantities and schedules, regardless of whether complaints were made.
He added that the routine road maintenance such as pothole patching and crack sealing was suitable for roads in moderate condition (level 3), where damage is limited to the pavement (premix) layer.
As for the proposal on getting back the jurisdiction of former logging roads, Shahelmey said roads located in forest reserve areas were under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Forestry Department.
"However, in November 2021, the government approved a proposal allowing Sabah JKR to maintain these former logging roads with the consent of the Sabah Forestry Department.
"To facilitate this, the Public Works Ministry, through JKR, has recommended the allocation of special funding for the maintenance of former logging roads, as they do not meet the criteria for Malaysia Road Record Information System funding and are still classified as forest reserve land."
On another matter, he said the total energy requirement for Sabah stood at 1,166MW, with a total generation capacity of 1,226MW.
Shahelmey added that the current reserve margin was only five per cent.
"To ensure an adequate reserve margin, Sabah Electricity (Sdn Bhd) has added interim diesel generation sets with a capacity of 90MW.
"These (sets) have been operational since June this year and are located across Sabah. This interim generation has been extended for two years until 2026."
He said Sabah Electricity was working on adding new generation sets, including a 100MW rental gas turbine and a 100MW mobile battery energy storage system, both expected to be operational by July next year.
With these projects, the reserve margin by July next year is projected to reach 22 per cent, ensuring that load shedding can be avoided.