By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, July 4: The replacement and reconstruction of dilapidated bridges and culverts along abandoned logging roads in the Miri Division will be implemented through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model whereby the costs incurred are proposed to be shared by the public sector (government agencies) and private sector (timber concessionaire).
According to a media statement, this followed a meeting organised by the Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) to discuss the proposal for replacing and reconstructing dilapidated bridges and culverts along abandoned logging roads in the Miri Division, specifically in the Baram region.
The meeting is a follow-up discussion to explore and analyse in depth on the key decisions made during the preliminary meeting held on 28 May 2025.
The proposal for the replacement and reconstruction of dilapidated bridges along abandoned logging roads in Miri Division will focus on the wooden bridges constructed using timber (logs) and having a span of no more than 30 metres, and log culverts.
“The dilapidated bridges are proposed to be reconstructed using rolled steel joist (RSJ) structure while the culverts will be replaced with ready-made high-density polyethene (HDPE) pipe,” said the statement.
It is expected that the initiative to reconstruct those dilapidated bridges and culverts will introduce a new era of development to the rural areas, and the proposal aligns with the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiative under the scope of social responsibility.
“The meeting has agreed for the issues of disconnected accessibility in the Baram region to be addressed collectively by both public and private sectors for the benefit of the local communities to ease their daily movements and transportation from settlements to nearby towns and vice versa.
“A resolution was achieved through the meeting whereby each relevant government agencies is required to share their up-to-date figures and information related to the number and locations of dilapidated bridges and culverts in Miri Division.
“Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (JKR) of Miri Division will come out with the total cost estimation for the replacement and reconstruction of the dilapidated bridges and culverts.
“Moving forward, a follow-up meeting will be held in the near future to discuss further the actual implementation of the proposed initiative with the relevant stakeholders,” it said.
The meeting held in the Regional Forest Office Miri was chaired by Datu Hamden Mohammad, the director of FDS and attended by Datuk Gerawat Gala, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department (Labour, Immigration, and Project Monitoring) and Mulu assemblyman; Dato Dennis Ngau, assemblyman for Telang Usan; Resident of Miri, Galong Luang, and representatives from various State government agencies. — DayakDaily
