Batang Rajang Bridge, Pasi-Sibu/Tanjung Manis Road To Be Completed In March - Uggah

SARIKEI, Nov 8 (Bernama) -- The Batang Rajang Bridge and Pasi-Sibu/Tanjung Manis Road project, with a total length of 17 kilometres (km), will be completed by March next year.

Sharing the good news, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the RM320 million project, which is part of Sarawak coastal road project, will reduce the travelling distance a lot.

Previously, the people from Sarikei would have to head through Sibu to go to Tanjung Manis, a travel time of about two-and-a-half hours.

"When completed the travelling time will only about 55 minutes," he told reporters after officiating the stitching ceremony of the 1.2km-long Batang Rajang Bridge here today.

Uggah said the road is part of the 900km-long coastal road and 300km-long second trunk road that is being constructed by the state Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government. 

He said that along the way, the government is building 14 bridges plus one viaduct and possibly other structures all costing RM11 billion and funded by state funds.

According to him, all projects carried out by the state government are on schedule with strict measures taken such as terminating the contractor when any project hits a delay.

Taking the Sungai Limbang Bridge project as an example, he said the government novated the contract to a subcontractor when the main contractor was unable to complete it.

The measure, without terminating the project itself, helped to save a lot of time in completing the bridge.

He said the state government is also pushing for the completion of the 4.8km long-Batang Lupar Bridge, the longest river-crossing bridge in Malaysia, by December 2025. 

"I am very happy to see that these roads across Sarawak open up new lands, new opportunities, new areas, and new hope for the people along these roads. So they will really transform the coastal community in Sarawak," he added.

-- BERNAMA