By Tedong Rantayy
MIR, July 29: Major improvements to road infrastructure in northern Sarawak are on the horizon with the development of the Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) and the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road Projects (SSLR 1 and SSLR 2).
These projects aim to significantly boost connectivity once all sections are completed, disclosed Datuk Ir Aidel Lariwoo, Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development (Infrastructure Development), during a site visit to LTB in Sungai 7 Miri today.
The LTB project involves upgrading the existing 93.25km road from Miri to Limbang and Lawas, extending to Sabah via Brunei Darussalam.
This project, currently in the planning stage, is divided into three packages: the 4.9km route from Kuala Baram to the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Sungai Tujuh complex in Miri; the 54.6km stretch from ICQS Tedungan to ICQS Pandaruan in Limbang; and the 33.7km segment from Lawas town to ICQS Merapok in Lawas.
Phase one of the 76km SSLR project, stretching from Lawas to Long Lopeng Junction, began on Aug 9, 2021, and has reached 35 per cent completion.
The project is progressing ahead of schedule by 5 per cent compared to the initial target of 30.32 per cent, and is expected to be fully completed by November 2026.
This phase of the project is funded with a RM1 billion allocation from the federal government.
Aidel highlighted the importance of this project, which will establish a road network connecting Sarawak and Sabah without passing through Brunei.
The federal government approved the construction in phases in 2021, with completion anticipated by the third quarter of 2026.
The project will enhance the federal road network to rural areas, providing better connectivity to infrastructure and public services, thus fostering socio-economic growth.
The overall project will involve constructing new alignments and upgrading existing roads to the R3 standard along a 322km stretch, linking Sarawak locations such as Lawas town to Limbang town, and then to Mulu town, bypassing Brunei Darussalam.
This extensive undertaking, divided into four packages, has an estimated cost of RM7.2 billion and aims to offer safer and more comfortable travel for both locals and tourists.
The Covid-19 pandemic underscored the necessity of robust land access in northern Sarawak as the closure of Brunei Darussalam’s borders in 2020 and 2021 disrupted connectivity, necessitating aid delivery via Sabah.
Recognising this critical need, the project has advanced with the letter of acceptance (SST) submitted by the Minister of Public Works Malaysia to the main contractor, Maltimur Aktif Unggul JV, on March 26, this year, in Kuala Lumpur.
The Sarawak Public Works Department has been appointed as the project director.
Preliminary work on the site has commenced, with the project slated for completion within five years. — DayakDaily
