By Doreen Ling
SIBU, Jan 11: The Jalan Teku Pasai Siong-Kemuyang road project worth RM89 million will be the first in Sarawak to have an elevated section of 700 metres to combat the peat soil in the surrounding area.
Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg joked that the existing roads made people ‘mabuk’ (experience motion sickness) due to it being uneven.
“I asked the Public Works Department (JKR) to consider a new approach to constructing roads on peat soil as the road is uneven and has a high maintenance cost.
“I suggested using a new way—elevated roads—and now we have a new technology we can use for planning, which is the Building Information Modeling (BIM),” he said.
He said this at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Jalan Teku Pasai Siong-Kemuyang road project today.
With the elevated road, the peat soil can be used as a carbon storage method as it is undisturbed, said Abang Johari.
He added that with the peat soil carbon storage, Sarawak can claim carbon credit, which to him becomes a component of the region’s carbon trading.
Meanwhile, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who was also present, said that there is a need for elevated roads in the area and today’s event was where it became a reality.
“I think Sibu has a lot of area that needs to be seen in terms of having elevated roads. If you drive from Sibu Airport to town, by the time you arrive, you’re already ‘mabuk’.
“At that time, we were happy to have the road, but the time has come to look into a new approach,” said Uggah in his speech, adding that he hoped for the project’s completion within two years.
He added that programmes are being planned for the Premier to learn from other countries on structures and technology and how to reduce costs by half compared to current solutions.
According to JKR Sarawak, the scope of the project includes the construction of a new 6.172km road connecting Jalan Teku Pasai Siong to Kemuyang which will cut travel time from 36 minutes to seven.
It also involves the upgrading of Jalan Teku Pasai Siong to the Universiti Teknologi Sarawak (UTS) roundabout to a dual carriageway and upgrading Jalan Persimpangan Taman Desa Kemuyang towards Jalan Sibu-Bintulu to JKR R5 standard.
For the record, 17 road projects in Sibu totalling RM826 have been approved under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation, and Talent Development and Nangka assemblyman Datuk Dr Annuar Rapaee; Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Law, MA63, and State-Federal Relations) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali; Sarawak Secretary Dato Sri Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki; Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Aidel Lariwoo; and Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing, and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang Ming Tee were also present during the event. — DayakDaily
