KUCHING: The driving time between Simanggang and Betong has been shaved by 35 minutes to under half an hour via the Sarawak Second Trunk Road (STR) network now that the Batang Lupar 2 bridge is open to traffic.
Before this, the only road option was via the Pan Borneo Highway, which took about an hour.
Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah declared the RM236.4mil bridge open to traffic on Saturday (Oct 31).
Built under Package B3 of the STR project, the bridge is 870m long and constructed in accordance with the Public Works Department (JKR) R5 standard to accommodate a dual carriageway configuration.
Its design also incorporates a navigation clearance measuring 200m wide and 23m high.
The bridge also has the tallest cable-stayed towers in Malaysia at 145.5m.
The Package B3 project contract included the construction of a 2,355m bridge access road adhering to JKR R5 standards, complete with roadside drainage systems, road furniture and safety barriers.
The Sarawak JKR said that as part of the STR network, the bridge not only improves connectivity between Simanggang and Betong, it will also improve the mobility of residents and economic activities in the areas between these two towns.
"A more direct link has the potential to reduce business logistics costs, unlock access to rural areas, and stimulate investment opportunities, commercial development and ecotourism," it added.
It was in Simanggang that the Sri Aman Peace Declaration was signed on Oct 21, 1973, to end the 28-year communist insurgency that started in December 1962.
The town was then renamed Sri Aman but the name was so unpopular that its historical name of Simanggang was officially restored in 2019.
Betong, meanwhile, is the cradle of Iban education with mission schools producing dozens of educated Ibans to be teachers, political leaders and prominent civil servants.
Uggah is currently one of the most famous sons of Betong.
