KUCHING: The Infrastructure and Port Development Ministry (MIPD) will visit the sites of projects being implemented to ensure their completion is on schedule, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas
“It is very important that the supervision is tight because we really want to meet the completion schedule,” he said after inspecting and listening to briefings on the progress of the Kuching-Samarahan Trunk Road construction in Sejingkat here on Tuesday.
“If we rely on briefings in the office, it is not the same as visiting the sites where we can see and gauge the actual situations. So this is MIPD’s and the state government’s approach now.
“If there are problems and issues, we and the PWD (Public Works Department) can talk to the contractors concerned to look at and find ways to solve them.”
Uggah said the people had high expectations of the ministry and the government to deliver.
“The bottomline is we want the projects to be completed as scheduled for the benefit of the people and the state.”
On the Kuching-Samarahan Coastal Link Road projects, he said they comprised three packages.
“The first is the four-lane RM365,737,131 Sejingkat Bridge over Sungai Sarawak. Next is the upgrading works on the 7.5-kilometre Kampung Tanjung Bako Road costing RM37,499,160.
“The third is the construction of the seven kilometre long new road from Kampung Tanjung Bako to the Batang Samarahan Bridge costing RM81,844,554.”
On the progress, Uggah said he was less than satisfied due to some problematic packages.
“But we will tackle them. I am confident we will be able to do so. The PWD has its standard operating procedure (SOP), its strategies and experiences. Some of the problems faced are not really unsolvable ones,” he said.
Uggah said the three packages were targeted to be completed by March 2025.
Speaking to the media later, Uggah said beside the Mile 4 flyover along the same road which is already completed, two others at Mile 6 and Mile 7 are expected to be completed in June this year.
He said the one at Mile 10 would be completed earlier this May and the four projects had cost the state government RM352,966,210 to implement.
“ I am pleased to note the three projects are almost completed and I wish to thank the contractor for delivering as scheduled. We have many projects in the state to be implemented and being implemented.
“ It is very critical that they are delivered on time. I am also very happy with the PWD inputs in contributing to their completion.”
Meanwhile Uggah said a proposal had also been made to construct an underpass at the Matang Roundabout to smoothen traffic flow in the area.
