01
2015DECISION
Phase 1 is planned as a 706 km, 35-package highway programme.
The Works Ministry later told Parliament that the preliminary 2015 construction estimate was RM12.86 billion. The Auditor-General says the project was planned from 2015.
← ChronologyUpdated 5 Oct 2026
CHRONOLOGY · SABAH · INFRASTRUCTURE
Sabah Pan Borneo: how did a 2021 completion target become 2030?
An accountability chronology of Phase 1—from its 2015 plan and original 2021 completion window through the PDP model change, repeated target shifts and the Auditor-General's 2026 findings.
Year by year11 events2015-01-01 → 2026-10-05
ANIMATED CHRONOLOGY SUMMARYWatch the sequence before reading the full story.
2015-01-01→2026-10-05
STORY AT A GLANCE
Watch the sequence before reading the full story.
An accountability chronology of Phase 1—from its 2015 plan and original 2021 completion window through the PDP model change, repeated target shifts and the Auditor-General's 2026 findings.
11 EVENTS14 SOURCE LINKS
EVENT 1 OF 112015Phase 1 is planned as a 706 km, 35-package highway programme.
The Works Ministry later told Parliament that the preliminary 2015 construction estimate was RM12.86 billion. The Auditor-General says the project was planned from 2015.
WHERE THINGS STAND NOWThe highway is still under construction, with the overall Phase 1 target now extending to 2030.
Continue to full chronology ↓The latest audit is based on project status as at 31 March 2026, while later Works Ministry statements set a phased package-completion path through 2030. The immediate question is how the government responds to the audit findings while keeping that revised schedule credible.
FULL TIMELINE · SCROLL / CLICK / DRAG TO EXPLORE
Each step is dated and sourced. Statements, allegations, decisions and confirmed actions stay labelled separately so the timeline does not turn one side's claim into an established fact.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Follow the sequence, not just the headline.
02
11 April 2016DECISION
The original 69-month construction window begins.
The Auditor-General records an original construction-and-completion period running from 11 April 2016 to 31 December 2021.
03
22 September 2019DECISION
Project management moves from the PDP model to the Works Ministry.
The government terminated the Project Delivery Partner model and continued Phase 1 using a conventional federal contracting approach, with the Works Ministry taking over implementation.
The Works Ministry later said the model change followed a 2019 government decision. This is a delivery-model change, not by itself proof that one party caused all subsequent delays.
04
10 December 2020WARNING
An earlier audit shows the project was already well behind plan at the PDP handover.
The Auditor-General's 2019 Series 1 report said physical progress across 11 work packages was 12.8% at PDP termination versus 41.9% planned—a 29.1 percentage-point gap.
05
16 May 2023STATUS
Two packages are complete; the remaining active packages are targeted for end-2024.
Sabah's Works Minister said progress across 15 active Phase 1 packages had reached 79.06%, with two packages completed and the rest then targeted for completion by the end of 2024.
Package counts and phase groupings changed as the programme was restructured, so PulseKita keeps each progress figure tied to the reporting basis used at that time.
06
19 November 2024DECISION
The programme is split into Phase 1A and 1B with later completion targets.
The Sabah government said Phase 1A was expected in October 2026 and Phase 1B in September 2028, across the full 35-package, 706 km Phase 1 programme.
07
21 April 2025STATUS
Four Phase 1A packages are complete; Phase 1B is still at an early stage.
Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi said four of 16 Phase 1A packages were complete, Phase 1A progress was 81.7%, and all 19 Phase 1B packages were under implementation at 3.06% progress.
08
13 May 2026STATUS
The government publishes a package-by-package path stretching to 2030.
Deputy Works Minister Ahmad Maslan said nine more packages were expected to complete in 2026, four in 2027, 12 in 2028, three in 2029 and the final three by 2030.
09
14 July 2026MONEY
Parliament hears that the current Phase 1 allocation is RM24.889 billion.
The Works Ministry contrasted the current RM24.889 billion total for Phase 1A and 1B with the preliminary RM12.86 billion estimate from 2015.
The ministry stressed that the 2015 figure was a preliminary construction estimate under the original PDP model, so PulseKita does not present the difference as a simple cost overrun calculation.
10
22 July 2026DECISION
The overall completion target moves to Q4 2030.
The Works Ministry told the Dewan Negara that the remaining Phase 1A and 1B alignment was targeted for full completion in the fourth quarter of 2030.
11
5 October 2026WARNING
The Auditor-General puts the decade-long delivery problems under a fresh spotlight.
Using a 31 March 2026 snapshot, LKAN 2/2026 says only four of 35 work packages were complete; of 31 still under implementation, nine were classified as sick projects, 13 were behind schedule and nine were ahead.
The audit also identified RM513.99 million in variation orders approved beyond authorised limits, plus planning, utility-relocation, monitoring and contract-governance weaknesses.
WHERE THINGS STAND NOW
The highway is still under construction, with the overall Phase 1 target now extending to 2030.
The latest audit is based on project status as at 31 March 2026, while later Works Ministry statements set a phased package-completion path through 2030. The immediate question is how the government responds to the audit findings while keeping that revised schedule credible.
Questions the chronology cannot answer yet.
01How many additional packages have actually reached full completion since the Auditor-General's 31 March 2026 snapshot?
02What corrective action will be taken over the RM513.99 million in variation orders that the audit says exceeded authorised approval limits?
03Will additional funding be required beyond current allocations to complete all 35 packages?
04Can the nine packages classified as sick projects recover without moving the 2030 target again?
05What will the final delivered cost of Phase 1 be once all packages and outstanding claims are closed?
The events that would move this story forward.
01A formal Works Ministry or JKR Sabah response to LKAN 2/2026.
02Completion/opening of the packages scheduled for 2026.
03Recovery plans for sick and delayed work packages.
04Any supplementary allocation or revised cost ceiling.
05Any revision to the Q4 2030 overall completion target.
READ NEXT
Keep following the connections.
Related chronologies are ranked from explicit story links first, then topic, geography and shared context.
ORGANISATIONPLUS
1986 → 202611 PERISTIWA
PulseKitaCHRONOLOGY
Infrastructure
PLUS Highway: how the North-South Expressway changed travel in Peninsular Malaysia
A chronology of PLUS from its 1986 incorporation through completion of the North-South Expressway, electronic tolling, highway patrols and expansion into a wider expressway network.
11 events · 1986–2026
HousingDWI Rimbun KasiaOngoing
PulseKitaCHRONOLOGY
Property
DWI@Rimbun Kasia: how did a 2018 launch become a sick project still unfinished in 2026?
A buyer-facing chronology of DWI@Rimbun Kasia, Meadowfield and Ireka—from the project's early launch promises and the Hankyu Hanshin joint venture to contractor failure, rescue works, changing completion targets, Ireka's PN17 and delisting, and the project's current KPKT sick-project status.
18 events · 2014–2026TragedyHighland Towers1993
PulseKitaCHRONOLOGY
Disaster
Highland Towers: how a 1993 collapse became a 33-year story about slopes, law and accountability
A chronology from the collapse of Block 1 and the 48 lives lost through the rescue, legal battles, local-authority immunity debate and the 2026 decision to demolish the two remaining blocks.
9 events · 1993–2026