KUCHING, Feb 23: Three ‘Rest & Relax’ (R&R) facilities and five lay-bys will be built along the Pan Borneo Highway (LPB) in Sarawak.
According to a news report from Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas) Minister of Works Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi said the R&Rs will be built in Jelukong, Lubok Antu; Sungai Basai in Selangau; and Lambir in Miri
“The lay-bys will be built in Lundu, Roban in Seratok, Julau, Sungai Semanok in Bintulu and Suai in Niah,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat sitting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday in reply to Selangau MP Edwin Banta’s question regarding R&R) facilities along LPB in Sarawak.
A total of RM2 billion has also been allocated annually for the LPB in Sarawak and Sabah (RM1 billion each) by the federal government.
Meanwhile, replying to Sri Aman MP Dato Sri Doris Sophia Brodie’s question regarding other projects implemented by his ministry apart from LPB, Nanta said there are several other projects currently in the planning stage by his ministry to improve the road network to Brunei and Kalimantan, Indonesia.
He said the first one is the Trans-Borneo road network which will improve the existing federal road in Miri, Limbang and Lawas through Brunei and secondly, the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) which will connect Miri, Limbang and Lawas and then on to Ba’Kelalan.
On Doris’ suggestion regarding the construction of the road to the border between Sarawak and Kalimantan, he said it had been taken into account in the Road Network Development Review (HNDP) for further research with central agencies.
He explained that the ministry has picked up the project proposals at the Malaysian-Indonesian border, namely the preliminary work and design for Road Construction Project from Kalabakan to the Malaysia-Indonesia Border (Simanggaris) and the Proposal to Upgrade FR21 Serian-Tebedu-Indonesian Border Road on Rolling Plan 3 under 12th Malaysia Plan for consideration of central agencies.
“For your information, the Ministry of Public Works is currently conducting a 2040 Road Network Development Plan Study (HNDP 2040) for Sabah, Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan.
“This study is a continuation of previous planning which is HNDP Phase 2, which is a reference from 2010 until 2025.
“Among the scope of the HNDP 2040 study is to examine the needs of the proposed international border road with Indonesia and Brunei which is expected to be completed in early 2025,” he said. — DayakDaily
