KUCHING: The Sungai Sarawak-Sejingkat Bridge will be another iconic bridge that will colour the development landscape in the Kuching-Samarahan area once completed.
Assistant Infrastructure and Port Development Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi when speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Sungai Sarawak-Sejingkat Bridge and Second Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road, said the bridge will be the third longest cable-stayed bridge in Malaysia.
He said the Second Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road construction project, on the other hand, is a link between Kuching and Samarahan and is one of the infrastructure development initiatives under the coastal road network programme which is fully funded by the Sarawak government.
“This new bridge and road is a project that has long been coveted, especially by the people in Kampung Tanjung Bako and other nearby villages because this road will directly connect Sejingkat with Kota Samarahan as well as shorten travel time to Kuching city,” he said on Sunday (Nov 21).
Julaihi said the project developed by the state government aims to provide alternative routes for Kuching and Samarahan residents to overcome road congestion on the existing Kuching-Samarahan Expressway, especially during peak hours.
“The sharp increase in the amount of traffic along the Kuching-Samarahan Expressway makes it difficult for road users to get to and from work in Kuching or Samarahan.
“The 40-minute journey from Kuching to Kota Samarahan will take more than one hour during peak hours,” he said while assuring that traffic congestion along the expressway will be a thing of the past once the project has reached completion.
The Second Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road, he said, will also step up the coastal road network by directly connecting the manufacturing and heavy industry zones for Kuching and Samarahan, namely Pending Industrial Estate, Demak Laut Industrial Park, Sama Jaya Free Industrial Zone and Kota Samarahan Industrial Estate.
“Samarahan is currently developing rapidly with Kuching City and is one of the parts in Sarawak that has high potential in generating the economy of Sarawak,” he said.
He added the implementation of the project will also open access to more socio-economic opportunities, especially those based on agriculture, fisheries, agro-based industries and will also boost development and economic activities under Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).
“The development of a sustainable infrastructure system will encourage the opening up of more areas and the development of fallow lands especially in coastal areas to stimulate the development of economic activities such as trade, agriculture, tourism and the development of other sectors in the surrounding areas, thus boosting the socio-economy of the local people,” he explained.
