PUTRAJAYA (April 11): The Sabah portion of the Pan Borneo Highway upgrading works have been made official by the signing of a project delivery partner (PDP) agreement by the federal and state governments and the PDP, which includes public-listed MMC Corp Bhd and Khazanah Nasional Bhd-owned UEM Group Bhd.

The signatories of the agreement are Public Works Department chief of secretary Datuk Seri Zohari Akob, Sabah government's secretary Tan Sri Sukarti Wakiman, and Borneo Highway PDP Sdn Bhd managing director Ir Shahelmy Yahya.

Sixty percent of the PDP is owned by privately held Warisan Tarang Construction Sdn Bhd, while the remaining stake is owned by an equally owned joint venture between UEM Group and MMC Corp.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak and his deputy Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi bore witness to the signing ceremony.

Borneo Highway PDP, acting as the PDP of this 706-km highway construction, effectively becomes the single point of accountability to manage and supervise the first phase of the highway at the most optimal cost, and is responsible for completing it by Dec 31, 2021.

The first package of the Sabah side of Pan Borneo Highway is the Papar-Donggongon row that stretches 11.7 km. Most parts of this epic project will see the existing road becoming a dual carriageway with four lanes on each side.

The project is set to be launched by the end of April, according to a statement prepared by the Public Works Department.