By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 31: Motorists may soon breathe sighs of relief as the Mile 7 flyover is set to fully open by the end of July, while two lanes on the dual-carriageway Mile 6 flyover are targeted to be open by the end of June.
Delivering this promise, Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas emphasised that part or two lanes of the dual-carriageway Mile 7 flyover is now open to the public before the Gawai Dayak holidays which would hopefully ease traffic congestion along this notoriously congested stretch.
“This flyover is part of the Pan Borneo Highway and in my winding-up (speech) during the recent DUN (Sarawak Legislative Assembly) Sitting, I mentioned that this section will be opened before Gawai.
“Tomorrow is Gawai and that means we (the Sarawak government) are committed to ensuring all infrastructure projects will be completed on time,” he told the press when visiting the Mile 7 flyover with the Public Works Department (JKR) today.
The partial opening of the flyover, the Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development pointed out, will ease traffic pressure on Kota Samarahan with motorists now having an alternative route to Serian.
On whether he is satisfied with the project that is nearing completion, Uggah admitted that today is not a good day to make the assessment due to low traffic.
“But I am very happy with the progress. They (JKR) showed me a video just now on how the flyover has eased the traffic along this stretch. It appears that we have achieved our objectives to ease the traffic snarl along this part of the city.
“The road is very smooth and now is the Gawai holidays. Please drive carefully so you can reach your destination safely,” he advised motorists.
Noting the predicament faced by people, especially getting stuck in traffic jams over the years, Uggah took the opportunity to express appreciation to the rakyat for their patience and understanding.
Meanwhile, the construction of four interchanges as part of the Pan Borneo Highway started in 2016. Of the projects, the Mile 4 1/2 flyover was completed in February 2021 while the Mile 10 flyover was completed on May 22.
