By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 14: The Second Trunk Road (STR) project, which includes the road from Batang Samarahan to Batang Sadong, the Batang Samarahan Bridge project, and the road from Batang Sadong to Sebuyau/Batang Lupar Bridge, will cut travel time between Kuching and Sibu to about three hours.
According to a press release, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas emphasised that the STR project will have a positive impact on Sarawak’s development process.
“It will open up another vast interior hinterland to income-generating economic activities,” he said when met in Sebuyau today after visiting the three road project packages under the STR project.
He explained that the packages are the road from Batang Samarahan to Batang Sadong, the Batang Samarahan Bridge project, and the road from Batang Sadong to Sebuyau/Batang Lupar Bridge.
Uggah, who is also Sarawak Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development (MIPD), stated that the Batang Samarahan to Batang Sadong road will span 13.7 kilometres and feature a four-lane dual carriageway.
The minister also stated that the road and bridge would cost RM530 million and are expected to be completed by Feb 2027.
Meanwhile, regarding the Batang Sadong road to Sebuyau/Batang Lupar Bridge package, he stated that the RM525 million 28-kilometre two-lane single carriageway will include a 800-metre viaduct crossing the Sedilu National Park and is expected to be completed by April 2028.
He also said that some issues were identified during the projects, but they were not major.
“They are being resolved to allow the construction works to proceed smoothly and for all these projects to be completed as scheduled.”
Furthermore, Uggah highlighted the purpose of his visit today was to check whether the contractors are complying with the State Public Works Department’s (JKR) ‘One Month Pledge/Undertaking’, where successful contractors are required to be on site and have carried out some construction activities within one month after they were awarded the contracts.
“If they failed to do so, JKR reserves the right to terminate them. But in the three projects, we see that they are serious contractors.
“They are already at their respective sites, although one of them is still facing land issues,” he remarked.
The minister reiterated that both MIPD and JKR must take a strict approach to ensuring that any infrastructure projects implemented are completed and delivered on time.
“When projects are announced, the people will expect to see that they are being implemented following the schedules. Our Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg will also expect the same.
“So our responsibilities at MIPD and JKR are to ensure this. We will go on the ground to monitor the progress and to know and to resolve if there are issues cropping up.
“We will engage other State departments and agencies when we go to the ground,” Uggah added. — DayakDaily
