Kota Kinabalu: Things will only get better for Kinarut with the implementation of the RM13 billion Pan Borneo Highway.The first phase of the project will see the construction of a dual carriageway that will link Penampang to Kinarut that is already connected to the six-lane Putatan route to Kota Kinabalu, promising greater connectivity and possibilities.Once completed, the 1,236km Pan Borneo Highway will see Kinarut playing bigger roles in providing housing and industrial need of the nearby districts as it serves as the gateway.
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At least six housing development projects assert the potential growth in Kinarut apart from indicating the area as a prime investment hub. With the scheduled completion of the Pan Borneo Highway stretch between Penampang and Papar by early next year, developments are expected to boom alongside the roads along the steep appreciation of property values.According to property reports prices of land with road frontage has risen by three to five folds in the Kinarut area and rentals are expected to double at the turn of the year. The economic pull that comes with the rapid growth of Putatan, Penampang and Kota Kinabalu will make Kinarut the perfect location to receive the spillovers. It will also revive its position as a transit point for more people expected to arrive from neighbouring Brunei and Sarawak as the Pan Borneo Highway takes shape in the years to come.Connected by the main coastal road that runs from Kota Kinabalu right down to the border town of Sipitang in the south, Kinarut has re-emerged as a transit area for many who ply the route from neighbouring Brunei and Sarawak as they travel north.
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The opening of hotels and resorts as well as many eateries from seafood restaurants, coffee shops to stalls selling fruits and beverages along the route are strong indicators of the busy route.Kinarut also appeals to many as its scenic coastal line to the east fronting the South China Sea and the lush hilly greens on the west towards the Crocker Range tells of geographical contrast that makes it unique.
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On the plains between the sea and the hills lies the traditional agrarian community. In the middle of its all is a growing economic hub of light industrial activity and property developments that tells of the potential within the area which comes under the Papar district but serves a gateway to the State capital and a passage that will open up new opportunities as the Pan Borneo Highway – a route described as a game changer in East Malaysia – takes shape.Kinarut, as a civilization, had existed as early as the 17th century when part of the west coast of Sabah was still under the rule of the Brunei Sultanate, thus explaining the presence of the Bruneian community along with the Bajaus on the coast and the Dusuns towards the hills.The Chinese arrived in the 19th century to work the plantations runs by the British and the bright red and gold Buddhist Tien Nam Shi temple that still stand in the Kinarut township, is proof.From the 1960s to the early 1980s, Kinarut was a bustling township being the transit point for those traveling between Kota Kinabalu and Papar.Over the years as Kota Kinabalu grew and squeezed what littles space it had, industrial areas started mushrooming around it including Kinarut as well as neighbouring Lok Kawi, providing new opportunities. By mid 1990s, major companies began setting up factories and outlets, bringing along with it a larger population to feed the demand for labour. Major local brands such as government-owned Desa, one of the biggest poultry and dairy product suppliers, Hing Wah Sauce and public listed company Hwa Tai, set up their factories in Kinarut. Among the key reasons to their presence were its strategic location that allows them to run their factories at a large scale and connectivity.The most popular attraction in Kinarut is arguably the 70ha Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, a government-run facility that houses many of the State's unique wildlife as well as a few exotic species from around the region.The Kinarut Outward Bound School which has groomed and guided many to become exemplary citizens in the last 30 years also remains a household name in the area along with the mystical Kinarut Mansions, ruins of an old building with Greco-Roman styled pillars now a heritage site maintained by the Sabah State Museum. And then there is the Montfort Boys School, an institution that has helped provide vocational training to under privileged boys from the surrounding areas and turn them into highly demanded skilled workers."Zil Avenue" will include four commercial blocks with two interlink bridges developed with the residential component mapped out in the near future and complement the matured residential and industrial neighbourhood including Lok Kawi at its border.Its key features will be the 13ft high ceiling on the ground floor and 12ft ceiling on the 1st and 2nd floor with full height glass windows and dual frontage that faces the Pan Borneo Highway for great visibility.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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