Senior Works Minister, Dato’ Sri Fadillah Yusof said that the WPC 04 of the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway project to upgrade the stretch from Pantu Junction to Batang Skrang is expected to be completed by early 2023.
The WPC 04 project is divided into Sri Aman and Bukit Begunan sections with 46.4 and 44.7 kilometres of roads respectively.
The project which is undertaken by Naim Gamuda JV Sdn Bhd will also involve the construction of nine bridges, including Batang Lupar Bridge and Batang Skrang as well as the Sri Aman Interchange.
This was revealed by Dato’ Sri Fadillah during the opening ceremony of the Sri Aman Multi-Level Interchange on 4 September 2022.
With a cost of RM28.8 million, the Sri Aman interchange is about one kilometre on a 19.4-hectare land.
The construction of the Sri Aman multi-level interchange began on 1 September 2016 and was open to the public on 30 August 2022.
According to Dato’ Sri Fadillah, it will help ease the traffic condition from Serian to Sri Aman and Betong.
Aside from that, with better road access it will be a catalyst for the development of the surrounding area such as Lachau, Temudok, Sri Aman, Engkilili and Skrang.
The Phase One of the Pan Borneo Highway project which cost about RM16.12 billion involves the construction of a 786-kilometre stretch of road from Telok Melano to Miri.
As of 24 August, this year, Dato’ Sri Fadillah said that the Phase One of the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway project in Sarawak is now 86.54 per cent complete.
He revealed during the Sarawak Media Engagement programme on 3 September 2022 that several more sections of the highway are expected to be opened this year and three other sections in Sarikei, Bukit Begunan, and Lambir are expected to be completed next year.
He also added that some of the roads need to be redesigned due to the unsuitable terrain conditions.
He also said that there are many projects funded by the federal government in Sarawak with four projects are currently under implementation by the Ministry of Works, including Phase One of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road from Lawas to Long Lopeng.
The four development projects, which cost a total of RM1.636 billion are the construction of a Jalan Medan Jaya-Jalan Tun Hussein Onn flyover in Bintulu; Phase One of Sarawak-Sabah Link Road; an access road to the south of Kuching International Airport; and upgrading of the 8101 Jalan Datuk Musa road heading to a G3 roundabout at Kota Samarahan, Kuching.
On 7 August this year, the Prime Minister announced that the construction of Phase 2 of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) project and the Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) project, which will commence early next year.
It was noted that the technical study of the SSLR Phase 2 and LTB projects that connect Miri to Limbang and Lawas, which are expected to take three to five years to complete, is now at the final stage.
As of now, the Ministry of Finance is currently finalising the procurement aspect for the SSLR Phase 2 and LTB projects in which a ceiling allocation of RM12 billion has been set for both projects.
