KUALA LUMPUR: The Jambatan Bagan Datuk bridge, which connects Hilir Perak and Kampung Sejagop in Perak Tengah won second place in the Community Road Category of the Mino Best Project Award in conjunction with the 17th Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia (REAAA) Conference, held from Oct 27 to Nov 1 in Goyang, South Korea.
Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, who received the award from REAAA president Dr Sung-Hwan Kim at the close of the conference, said the road project, under the supervision of his Ministry, managed to connect two major districts in Perak with a mere 10km route that took only seven minutes, a vast contrast compared to the previous hour-long 67-km trip.
"The facility really makes it easy for residents to go about their daily concerns, speeds up delivery of agricultural produce and opens up a lot of economic and tourism opportunities in Bagan Datuk.
"The bridge, with its sophisticated eco-friendly design, uses a system with box culverts to ensure that nearby residents are still connected,” he said in a statement today, adding that the project is equipped with navigation lights for the safety of ships and boats and was built taking in peat soil and coastal conditions to ensure long-term sustainability.
The bridge also acts as a catalyst for community connectivity, expands access and mobility between two major districts, and is an engineering model that balances technical competence, social welfare and environmental sustainability.
Besides the bridge award, a Malaysian professional engineer, Datuk Dr Dennis Ganendra of Minconsult Sdn Bhd received the Hwang Award, a special recognition to individuals who have contributed greatly to REAAA and road engineering development in the region.
Nanta described Dennis’ recognition as proof that Malaysian engineering capabilities were now on par with developed countries and acknowledged internationally.
"This isn’t just about a win by a single project, but a victory for all Malaysia’s engineers. It reflects our capabilities and spirit to build infrastructure that not only connects districts, but unites and develops communities.
"With two main awards, the REAAA Mino Best Project Award (Community Road Category) and the REAAA Hwang Award, Malaysia again proves local engineering prowess can produce high-quality projects that are resilient and people-oriented,” he added.- Bernama
