First phase of Sarawak-Sabah Link Road ahead of schedule at 35 pct completion

MIRI (July 30): The first phase of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) connecting Lawas to Long Lopeng Junction has reached 35 per cent completion, said Datuk Aidel Lariwoo.

The Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development (Infrastructure Development) said this is 5 per cent ahead of schedule.

Work on the 75km first phase began on Aug 9, 2021 and is expected to be completed by November 2026.

Aidel called on the contractor to continue working consistently to complete the entire project in a timely manner.

“SSLR aims to provide a network of highways connecting Sarawak and Sabah without passing through Brunei. It was approved in phases by the federal government in 2021 and is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2026.

“Additionally, upon completion, this project will expand the federal road network into the interior areas, allowing these regions to have better access to infrastructure and other public services, thereby generating improved socioeconomic growth,” he said in a statement after visiting the Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) at Sungai Tujoh here yesterday.

On the second phase of the SSLR, he said it will involve the construction of a new route and the upgrading of existing roads to R3 standards covering a total of 322km.

This will connect Lawas, Limbang, and Mulu without passing through Brunei, under a federal government allocation of RM7.2billion.

Aidel added that the SSLR, which will be implemented through four packages, will serve as an access and mobility route primarily for the local community and tourists to travel more comfortably and safely.

“It is important, especially after Covid-19 pandemic which hit the country from 2020 to 2021 demonstrated the critical importance of road networks or land access for northern areas of Sarawak.

“When Brunei closed its borders to curb the spread of Covid-19, causing the northern part of Sarawak to become isolated from other parts of Sarawak, it ultimately forced aid to be sent through Sabah,” he said.

On the LTB, he said the Letter of Acceptance (LoA) for the project was handed over by Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanti Linggi to the main contractor on March 26 in Kuala Lumpur, with JKR Sarawak appointed as project director.

Preliminary work on the site has commenced, with the project slated for completion within five years.

The development of the LTB project involves upgrading the existing 93.25km road from Miri to Limbang and Lawas, extending to Sabah via Brunei.

The project, which is currently in the planning stage, is divided into three packages namely the 4.9km route from Kuala Baram to the Immigration, Customs, Quarantine, and Security (ICQS) Sungai Tujoh Complex Miri; the 54.6km stretch from ICQS Tedungan to ICQS Pandaruan in Limbang; and the 33.7km segment from Lawas town to ICQS Merapok in Lawas.