The Sabah Public Works Department (PWD) has proposed the federal government to build transit housing quarters as temporary homes for land owners affected by land acquisition for the Sabah Pan Borneo Expressway project.

Its director Ir Amrullah Kamal said building the quarters would be the best alternative for the land owners who had no other house to move out to, except the ones at the site.

He said delay in the land acquisition process would be a setback to speed up work on the expressway project.

"So far, the cooperation from the land owners is good and they welcome construction of the expressway, but for those with no other house, it will take some time for them to move out.

"Hence, the government should take an initiative to build transit housing quarters as an alternative for them" he told a media conference after a breaking-of-fast event hosted by Borneo Highway PDP (BHP) Sdn Bhd here Tuesday night.

Amrullah said the department had proposed the matter to the relevant agency at the federal level and was awaiting its response.

Meanwhile, BHP Sdn Bhd managing director Ir Shahelmey Yahya said the Sabah Pan Borneo Expressway project involved 35 packages, of which five were under construction and tender would be called soon for the remaining packages.