KUCHING: Sarawak has targeted late 2027 to complete the remaining nine major bridges along its coastal road network and Second Trunk Road, following the official opening of the RM365.74mil Sejingkat Bridge on Monday (Oct 5).
Spanning the Sarawak River, the 1,281-meter, four-lane dual-carriageway cable-stayed bridge links the Sejingkat industrial sector here to Tanjung Bako in Samarahan, offering commuters an alternative route to bypass the heavy traffic on the Samarahan Expressway.
Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas, who officiated the soft launch, said two more bridges along the Second Trunk Road are slated for completion by the end of the year, while four others are expected within the next three months.
These include the bridge over Batang Paloh in central Sarawak, scheduled for completion at the end of October, and the Rambungan River bridge in Lundu, expected by year-end.
“We hope to push for faster progress so we can open them in late November,” said Uggah, who is also the state Infrastructure and Port Development Minister.
Uggah said the diamond-shaped pylon on the Sejingkat Bridge is the first in Malaysia.
He said that once the 296km stretch of the Second Trunk Road connecting Kota Samarahan, Sadong Jaya, and Sri Aman is operational, it will reduce the travel distance between Kuching and Sri Aman by 156km.
The completion of the RM848.75mil Batang Lupar 1 bridge will reduce travel time from Sri Aman to Betong to 20 minutes.
The Second Trunk Road between Sri Aman and Betong also features an 11km elevated highway built over peatland.
Uggah revealed the state plans to acquire and upgrade 5,700km of abandoned timber roads carved out by logging concessionaires in the interior.
“It’s the last mile,” Uggah said, adding that the state aims to complete these interior road upgrades by 2030 to connect every rural village.
