Sabah State Route SA3

This article is about a 71 km (44 mi) state route. For the entire route that was longer and historically uses the SA3 code, see Malaysia Federal Route 500.

Sabah Route SA3
Tenom–Sipitang Highway
Junction to Kg. Marau, in Sipitang, Sabah.
Route information
Length	71 km (44 mi)
Major junctions
East end	Tenom
Major intersections	FT 500 Federal Route 500 FT 22 (Interior North–South Highway) / FT 500 / FT 501 SA33 Jalan Paal–Kuala Tomani FT 1 Federal Route 1
West end	Sipitang (continues as Pan Borneo Highway)
Location
Country	Malaysia
Primary destinations	Tenom Keningau (continues as Keningau–Tambunan Highway) Sipitang Beaufort Lawas (continues as Federal Route 1 (Sarawak))
Highway system
Highways in Malaysia Expressways Federal State

State Route SA3 (known as Route A3) was a 71 kilometres (44 mi) 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.

Parts of Sipitang–Tenom Highway, around the Sipitang District featuring rolling gradient, only up to 10%.

Road sections

The highway runs from Tenom to Paal was a 18 kilometres (11 mi) 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 53 kilometres (33 mi) 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 891 m (2,923 ft), 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, 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 Federal Route 1 of Sarawak.

Sabah State Route SA3 as it cut through the Crocker Range. This section is mountainous, and most road gradient can hit from 10% to 15%, while some only range between 12% and 14% being the steepest part.

Because of its high altitude, sits around at 800 metres (2,600 ft), 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

Main article: Malaysia Federal Route 500

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 183 kilometres (114 mi) 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.

Legend:

• I/C - Interchange, I/S - Intersection, RSA - Rest and service area, OBR - Overhead bridge restaurant, R/R - Restaurant and rest plaza, L/B - Layby, V/P - Vista point, TN - tunnel, T/P - Toll plaza, BR - Bridge

• C - Cloverleaf, S - Stack, T-A - Trumpet-A, T-B - Trumpet-B, DT - Directional-T/Y, SDT - Semi-Directional-T/Y, P-Y - Partial-Y, D - Diamond, P-C - Partial cloverleaf, D-D - Diverging diamond, D-R - Direct ramp

District	Location	km	mi	Name	Destinations	Notes
Tenom	Tenom			Tenom Tenom town centre	FT 500 Federal Route 500 – Melalap, Keningau, Tambunan, Kota Kinabalu Interior North–South Highway – Ranau	Roundabout
				Sungai Padas bridge
				Sapong
				Kg. Paal
				Ulu Paal	SA33 Jalan Paal–Kuala Tomani – Kemabong, Kuala Tomani	Roundabout
				-- m above sea level Tenom bound, Engage lower gear
				Mount Lumaku Forest Reserve -- m above sea level
Sipitang	Sindumin			-- m above sea level Sipitang bound, Engage lower gear
				Kg. Solob
				Short Tunnel I/S
				Kg. Muaya
				Long Pasia I/S	Long Pasia	Junctions
				Melamam		Junctions
				Kg. Lubang Buaya
				Mengalong	FT 1 Federal Route 1 – Kota Kinabalu, Beaufort, Sipitang, Sindumin, Lawas	T-junction
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus

See also

• State Route in Malaysia
• Federal Route 500

Notes

• A vehicle was once burned in the Tenom–Sipitang Highway.

External links

• Malaysian Public Works Department