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City Hall will step up efforts to maintain the pavements around the State Capital to minimise the safety risks posed by any holes which may form in these amenities.

A Likas resident, on the other hand, hopes that the Public Works Department (PWD) will be equally mindful about any exposed sections on the verges of roads under its care.

The individual was perturbed by the holes at different sections of a verge on Jalan Punai Tanah between Saint Simon Catholic church and Shan Tao secondary school.

These danger spots didn’t sit easy with him, as he didn’t want a repeat of a recent fatal incident in Lahad Datu where a car fell into an open sewer pit

A Kota Kinabalu office worker, meanwhile, spoke out about the depression in the pavement at the turn off from Jalan KK Bypass to Jalan Kota Kinabalu Lama 3. Some plywood pieces had been placed over this irregularity some time ago, according to her, but nothing had been done since to repair the pavement.

Both individuals provided Hotline with the pertinent details regarding their grievances, which were forwarded to the relevant agencies.

A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said an inspection was made of the pavement near the Jalan KK Bypass - Jalan Kota Kinabalu Lama 3 junction, on the same day that it was contacted by the media.

“Our staff confirmed the presence of plywood pieces on the pavement,” he said. 

“The interlocking paver blocks covered by the wood had given way. Our personnel noticed that the earth beneath the affected ‘pavers’ had been dug up so that a pipe of some sort could be installed.” 

He said the soil had not been adequately compacted after the pipe was put in place which had caused this part of the pavement to cave in.” 

The spokesman said one of the agency’s technicians returned the following day to attend to this irregularity.

“The pavers were removed so that more earth could be filled up below. A layer was concrete was later poured over the problematic section of the pavement.”  

When asked about the hold up in dealing with this problem, he said budgetary constraints prevented the agency from making the necessary repairs right away. 

The spokesman explained that maintenance was carried out on the pavements – including metal grills and concrete slabs embedded in these structures – in the City on an ad hoc basis.

“This work is carried out when it warrants doing so. To this end, our staff have been asked to make periodic checks of the common areas around the City to ensure that the walkways are in good order.”

Meanwhile, the PWD is trying to decide how best to deal with the damage to two different sections of the verge on one side of Jalan Punai Tanah.

A Department spokesman said its personnel observed that some red tubes had been laid in the holes which had been dug into the road shoulder.

“The affected parts of the reserve land must have been excavated some time ago and left as is, as one of our concessionaires had cordoned off the holes behind some plastic barricades and security tape,” he said. 

He said the agency had so far been unsuccessful in identifying who had put the tubes in place.

“We asked Sabah Electricity about these fixtures but the management said they did not belong to the company.”

The spokesman said the PWD would arrange to deal with the compromised sections of the verge, once it had sourced the funds needed to do so.

When asked how often the road-shoulders under the Department’s jurisdiction were maintained, the spokesman said this was done as and when it became necessary to do so.

“We generally rely on public feedback to determine when these reserves need to be attended to. It also depends on whether the repairs are going to be a ‘big’ job or a ‘small’ one.”

He said the former was subject to constraints on the funding and manpower needed to carry out the work.

“The ‘small’ jobs can usually be accomplished within a matter of days.”

MAXIM of Likas said both the holes on Jalan Punai Tanah had been there for years.

“I believe they were dug by contractors, working on the red tubes, who failed to fill them in once they were done,” he said.

He said the exposed sections posed a danger to motorists and pedestrians, especially at night. 

Maxim said it “would be great” if the relevant authorities could have the holes filled.

“The contractors who didn’t finish their work properly should also be admonished and reminded that they are playing with people’s lives when they leave unfinished business like this behind.”