THE Sepanggar Road Tunnel in Sabah was officially opened today, cutting short the travel distance between Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park (KKIP) and Sepanggar Port by at least 7km. 

The project, which took four years and eight months to complete, was built at a cost of RM82 million, higher than the RM66 million initial estimate made in 2014. 

It is a 2.5km dual carriageway and a 600 metre twin-tunnel, built under the Bukit Botak Sepanggar from Jalan Sulaman right up to the state’s main port. 

Hauliers initially had to drive about 9.4km to reach Sepanggar Port from KKIP.

Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman said aside from diverting the massive traffic in the area, the new road tunnel will spur import and export activities in Sabah. 

“With the completion of the tunnel, connecting both points, we are now ready to make KKIP and the port to become more competitive against any other port in Malaysia. 

“At the same time, (to) speed up the transport of goods, as well as reduce the cost of logistics,” he said. 

His speech was read by the Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan. 

The Sepanggar Tunnel Project was one of the projects under the Sabah Development Corridor.

The state government said the construction of the tunnel, though costly, would help the government save on annual road maintenance cost. 

The project was built by Pembinaan Azam Jaya Sdn Bhd which is also the contractor of the Lintas and Tuaran flyover, which was built at a cost of RM220 million. – November 14, 2017.