Traffic resumes on Jln Kuching-Batu Kitang-Bau after Jan 9 embankment collapse, burst water pipe repair

KUCHING (Feb 14): Traffic along the main Jalan Kuching-Batu Kitang-Bau stretch in front of Kampung Haji Baki has fully resumed following repair works on a collapsed embankment and a burst water main, said Batu Kitang assemblyman Dato Lo Khere Chiang.

He said the road was reopened to traffic at 1pm today after the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak and contractor PPES Works Sdn Bhd completed the repairs.

The damage occurred on Jan 9 when a section of the road embankment collapsed and a main water supply pipe from the Batu Kitang Water Treatment Plant broke, causing significant disruption to more than 50,000 daily road users.

“Thank you to JKR Sarawak and PPES Works Sdn Bhd for successfully completing the repair works at the affected location within three weeks of the incident,” said Lo after the site inspection.

He advised motorists to continue exercising caution when passing through the area, noting that the temporary diversion route from Batu Kitang towards Kota Sentosa, which had been constructed to ease traffic flow, has now been closed.

According to Lo, the road serves approximately 50,000 vehicles daily, with traffic volume rising to about 53,000 during weekends and public holidays as residents from Kuching and Samarahan travel to popular destinations such as Lundu, Telok Melano, Sematan and Biawak near the Sarawak–Kalimantan border.

The completion of the repairs is expected to ease congestion along the stretch, particularly during peak hours and holiday periods.

Also present during the site inspection were JKR Sarawak senior principal assistant director Fum Sze Chee and Kampung Haji Baki Penghulu Saptuyah Yusuf.