The Mile 10 to 15 Kuching-Serian Road upgrading project.
KUCHING (Sept 29): The asphaltic concrete thickness of the road constructed under the Mile 10 to 15 Kuching-Serian Road (KSR) upgrading project was found to be less than the specified level, said the Auditor General’s Report 2019 Series 2 released yesterday.
It explained the thickness of asphaltic concrete should reach 140.00mm, but result from analysis carried out on 17 samples from KSR project found the mean (average) thickness was 138.00mm while the standard deviation was 11.69.
“Audit analysis found that compliance with the specifications was 52.5 per cent which indicates it did not reach the level of thickness specification specified. This observation was also based on individual data and the average value which found the thickness to be below the specified level,” said the report.
Despite such weakness in the work specification, the AG Report nonetheless concluded the KSR project implementation as satisfactory with all project components being successfully completed within the permitted period.
It also cited a survey that found most respondents were happy with the convenience and safety on the road, while the project was also noted to have invigorated the economy at the surrounding areas.
Apart from issues related to work quality and specifications, the report said other weaknesses in the project management were performance bond period not extended according to project, delay in application and overlapping period of Extension of Time (EoT) and delay in issuing variation order.
The 8.1km upgrading of Mile 10 to 15 Kuching-Serian Road was completed on January 28, 2019 after extension of 351 days from the original completion date following the approval of seven EOTs.
The project involved upgrading previously single carriage way to dual carriage way under JKR U5 standard road.
According to the AG Report, the project was approved under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP), to be implemented under Works Ministry.
It also said the project was included in the Pan Borneo Highway scope by the Cabinet on Sept 17, 2014 with a project cost ceiling of RM80 million and it was awarded to its contractor through limited tender.
In terms of safety aspects, the report said 264 accidents had been reported there from 2018 to 2020, with 14 per cent occurring at the 14th Mile roundabout.
It noted that a review on Special Safety Audit by the consultant on Jan 17, 2019 had come up with few proposals to improve the safety in that area.
In its audit recommendations, the AG Report called on the relevant parties to take steps to avoid recurrence of same mistakes in the future such as ensuring the application and approval of time extension is better managed to avoid project delays.
“(Another recommendation) is to ensure all road works are tested effectively to ensure the completed road meets the quality and (is) built according to specifications,” it added.
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