State Route SA3 (known as Route A3) was a state highway in Sabah, Malaysia that connects the Tenom area to the Sipitang area. It serves as the main highway to connect most villages in the Interior Division of Sabah to Sipitang, as well as Sarawak. It also serves as a route continues after Federal Route 500.
It is one of the major remote and rugged highways in Sabah, Malaysia.
Route background The highway runs from Tenom to Paal was a road, passing all estates road nearby plantation managed by SD Guthrie (formerly Sime Darby), similarly, Melalap–Tenom Road section from Federal Route 500. The highway ends at a roundabout where it meets the Paal–Kuala Tomani Highway, near the Paal villages. Then a road which runs from east to west, traverses the Crocker Range, within the Mount Lumaku forest reserve, as well as two district, Tenom and Sipitang District, summit at , known as the Tenom Hill Pass or Bukit Layang-Layang by most people in Tenom. It features steep gradient, ranging from 10% to 15%, with some section range only 12% to 14% being the steepest part, giving that punishing gradient that could slow down any vehicle. As a mountainous road, a traditional climbing road lane was provide for the ranging gradient though some was also staggered. Some segment in the Sipitang District also feature only rolling gradient (up to only 10%, moderately steep) after descending from the high Crocker Range area, as well as gravel, pothole and damaged roads around the forest and villages, including a slope repair. The highway ends at the Mengalong roundabout, continues as Federal Route 1 of Sabah, which eventually then continues ahead to Sarawak Federal Route 1.
Because of its high-altitude, sits around at , the road will experience fog/mist. Historically, the high-altitude section also features the yellow line road marking.
Road origins Original Sabah State Route SA3
The State Route SA3 was once a much longer route in Sabah. A major portion of it is now designated as Federal Route 500, which runs from Kota Kinabalu to Tenom. Today, only the section between Paal and Tenom retains the state highway code. In addition, some section from Penampang to Tambunan, or Tenom to Keningau still uses the old code, provided by the signboard without the 'S' in it.
Tenom–Sipitang Highway The Tenom–Sipitang Highway was once a rugged logging road, where driver from Tenom will uses the Kimanis–Keningau Highway to Sipitang which is only long. After the highway was complete, the Tenom–Sipitang Highway was opened to traffic as well as commissioned as part of Sabah State Route SA3 in 2007, followed by the road from Paal to Kuala Tomani renumbered as Route SA33. The highway was also considered as one of the highway in Sabah that was completed in the 2000s.
Junction lists The entire route is located in Interior Division, Sabah.
Gallery
See also State Route in Malaysia Federal Route 500
Certain incidents A vehicle was once burned in the Tenom–Sipitang Highway though no injuries was reported.
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