By DayakDaily Team
JULAU, Aug 14: The RM70.19 million road construction project in Nanga Maong is progressing ahead of schedule, with works also covering key infrastructure including Nanga Maong Clinic, SK Nanga Ju, Rumah Gerasi and Rumah Mengiring in Ulu Ju, as Sarawak steps up efforts to improve connectivity in the interior.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the Nanga Maong project had achieved 32.25 per cent physical progress as of July 25, compared with the scheduled 29.57 per cent, putting it 2.68 percentage points ahead of schedule.
According to a post shared Uggah’s social media, the project, being implemented by EPR (Kuching) Sdn Bhd with Jurutera CSD Sdn Bhd as consultant, began on April 29, 2024, and is scheduled for completion on March 5, 2028.
The project involves the construction of 13.6km of road to Modified JKR R1 RC Road standards, comprising Road A measuring 8.97km, Road B at 4.426km and Road C at 0.19km.
It also includes the construction of three reinforced concrete bridges measuring 70 metres, 60 metres and 75 metres respectively
Uggah said the project was among several infrastructure developments inspected during the second day of XPDC 3.0, which covered Nanga Maong, Nanga Ju, Ulu Ju, Entabai and Rantau Bandau.
He said the expedition also aimed to assess the condition of former logging roads taken over by the Sarawak Government for upgrading, particularly to improve connectivity for communities in rural areas.
“The logging roads are in need of upgrading. So today we came down ourselves with Sarawak JKR so that we can assess what needs to be done to these former logging roads,” he said while inspecting the Nanga Maong road project on Thursday (Aug 13).
The inspection also covered Nanga Maong Clinic and SK Nanga Ju, as well as Rumah Gerasi and Rumah Mengiring in Ulu Ju.
During the visit to the SK Nanga Ju area, Uggah also announced approval for the construction of an access road to the longhouse at Nanga Ju, Sungai Mujok, together with a steel bridge to improve access for residents.
The XPDC 3.0 expedition, held from Aug 12 to 13, involved inspections of infrastructure projects in the Ulu Skrang, Ulu Kota, Nanga Maong and Nanga Ju areas.
Uggah and the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak team conducted on-site assessments throughout the expedition to identify infrastructure needs and prioritise improvements aimed at strengthening connectivity and access for interior communities. — DayakDaily
