By Lian Cheng
KUCHING, Jan 10: Kuching South City Council (MBKS) hopes funds may be allocated for expanding the stretch of road from Jalan Stutong to BDC to cater to increasing needs and ease traffic congestion on the road.
MBKS mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng said that since the Sarawak government is focusing on reducing the traffic jam along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, which has been a long-standing issue, it would be logical to expand the stretch of road of Jalan Stutong to BDC.
Wee said the stretch of the road is quite narrow, and his suggestion will be considered under mid-year review.
“Kota Samarahan is flourishing, and the township will only increase its vitality.
“Since the government is tackling the jam issue, which has existed for quite a while, I hope that they will consider an overall upgrading of the road network here by upgrading Jalan Stutong to BDC to allow congestion issue to be solved once and for all.
“It is also to cater for future needs so that we don’t have to cause disruption and disturbance again in the future when the road is deemed to be too narrow to meet the needs of the road users,” Wee told DayakDaily after inspecting the Northbank traffic light project with Infrastructure and Port Development Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Kota Samarahan Municipal Council chairman Datuk Peter Minos as well as Sarawak Public Works officers today.
On the Northbank Roundabout traffic light project, Wee said some issues were cropping up again at the Northbank Roundabout (or Roundabout 4), resulting in traffic congestion lasting more than one hour yesterday.
He said this had led to Uggah gathering officers of all relevant departments to look into the matter. However, time is still needed to ensure the smooth operation of the almost-completed traffic light at the Northbank Roundabout, which is now on a trial run.
Since the Sarawak government is looking into solving the traffic issue of the area, Wee hoped Uggah and Sarawak JKR could look for extra funds to expand the stretch of Jalan Stutong from the Northbank Roundabout to BDC. — DayakDaily
