By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Aug 5: More than 200 bridges and roads across Sarawak have been identified as needing urgent repairs or complete reconstruction, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Uggah, who is also the State Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development and chairman of the State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC), said the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak is actively surveying infrastructure statewide, including areas like Baram, Kakus, Skrang, Belaga, and Murum, to prioritise critical works.
“Some 200 structures have been identified for repair or replacement. So far, 19 projects have been tendered, with another 10 on the way,” he told a press conference after officiating at the Bailey Bridge handover ceremony and the launch of the new Vehicle Yard at Senari Port here today.
These initiatives, he said, fall under joint efforts by JKR and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Port Development (MIPD) to boost rural connectivity and disaster response readiness.
Uggah added that the assessment process was prompted by a 15-hour journey his team undertook from Miri to Bario, where they inspected several old timber bridges built by logging companies that are now structurally unsafe.
To address the issue, he said the Sarawak government has decided to take over logging roads, including active ones, and convert them into state roads to allow for proper maintenance.
“Once these roads become state roads, we can manage and maintain them accordingly. This is a major task but one that must be tackled,” he said.
During the event, the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) officially handed over two modular steel bridges (Bailey Bridges) to SDMC. — DayakDaily
