He said these P-turns will replace the conventional U-turns along the highway. More than 200 such P-turns are expected to be erected.

A road safety awareness programme needs to be implemented to familiarise users with the new road arrangements on the highway, which is in the final stages of construction, he added.

“Pan Borneo is the first highway in Sarawak with a four-lane dual carriageway where we see quite a lot of accidents occurring,” he said after attending the Sarawak Pan Borneo Safety Advocacy Roadshow Programme in Kuching today, Bernama reported.

Fadillah said 355 fatal accidents were reported between January and June this year on completed sections of the highway, a figure which he said was “alarming”.

Speeding, driving against traffic flow and removing guardrails to take shortcuts were among contributing factors to accidents on the highway, he said.

Fadillah said Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had directed him to assist works minister Alexander Nanta Linggi in expediting completion of the highway.

He said two of the three sections of the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway, namely Sarikei and Bukit Begunan, are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, while the Lambir section near Miri will be completed next year.