LUNDU, Jan 8: The construction project of the 560-meter-long Batang Rambungan Bridge along the first route of the Sarawak Coastal Road is expected to be fully completed and opened to the public by the end of this year.

Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development Sarawak, Ir. Aidel Lariwoo, said that although there were slight delays previously, the RM82 million project has reached a progress level of 19.6 percent and is still on schedule.

"The purpose of our visit to this project this morning is to ensure that the contractor or project operator completes the construction of the Batang Rambungan Bridge as planned," he said during a press conference on a working visit to the project site.

Further commenting, he explained that the delays occurred due to technical issues and the use of concrete materials that require special approval, not only from the Public Works Department (JKR) but also from the Federal authorities.

“However, all these issues have been successfully resolved and there are no longer any technical problems as before,” he asserted.

According to him, the original construction schedule set the project to be completed by May 2027, but current developments indicate that the contractor is capable of finishing it earlier.

“The contractor has stated that this project could be completed as early as June this year. However, based on current assessments, it is likely to be completed slightly later, but we are confident it can still be finished within this year,” he added.

He said that the construction phase after May is expected to be more challenging due to the increased scope of work and the use of main building materials.

Ir. Aidel also emphasized that the Batang Rambungan Bridge is important infrastructure and will serve as the main bridge for the Sarawak Coastal Road route, particularly in the Sempadi–Lundu area.

In a related development, he informed that the construction of a two-lane road approximately seven kilometers long to i-CATS University College near Kampung Trombol, Telaga Air is still at the tender stage and will be implemented in the first phase of the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK13).

In addition, he said that along the first route of the Sarawak Coastal Road, a total of eight other small bridges have been completed.

“This means that only this main bridge still needs to be completed this year,” he said. – TVS