November completion expected for Sibu Jaya-Jalan Kong Yit Khim access road

SIBU (Aug 9): Construction of the new access road connecting Sibu Jaya to Jalan Kong Yit Khim is expected to be completed in November, said Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

The Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development said he is happy with the progress of the project costing about RM104.4 million.

He said the project was initially scheduled to be completed in the middle of December, but the contractor is very committed to ensuring it is completed ahead of schedule.

“Initially, there were some setbacks, but fortunately the contractor was very experienced, so they worked out to overcome the setbacks and they have succeeded so we are very happy,” he told reporters at the site today.

He explained the setback was because the peat in some areas was very deep and it took time for the contractor to address this.

He said the road will be an injection to the economy with multiplier effects on economic growth.

“We have to make sure that whatever is committed for that year is to be spent within that year. Then we will make sure that the economic growth is achieved,” he pointed out.

He said the Public Works Department (JKR) has made a resolution that there should be no ‘sick’ projects, thus any projects that are ‘sick’ would be terminated.

“We will give them (contractor) a timeline and we will not hesitate to terminate their contract because the sooner we terminate the sick project the better. So that is why we have the one-month rule. That ruling will keep our contractors on their toes,” he said.

Uggah said this reflects the seriousness of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government to ensure all projects are completed on time.

The road connecting Sibu Jaya and Jalan Kong Yit Khim will be a 6.75km dual carriageway road with two river crossings – Sungai Salim and Sungai Belalang.

It will provide an alternative route from Sibu Jaya to either Durin or Sibu town.

Meanwhile, Uggah stressed the government has many plans to ensure all areas in Sarawak are connected by road.

These include the second trunk road and coastal road costing about RM11 billion.

He said there will be 16 bridges from Kuching to Limbang, which are either in progress, just being implemented, or almost completed.

“We also have project rakyat, we have many, but I cannot give you the list here today.

“At the same time, we still have some areas that are not yet connected to roads, and we also want to know and to have accurate data.

“What exactly is the road coverage in the rural areas, what are the distance of the longhouses and villages that are not yet connected to roads,” he said.

Among those present were Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development (Infrastructure Development) Datuk Aidel Lariwoo and JKR Sarawak director Dr Cassidy Morris.