After the upgrading project of Jalan Tanjung Assam-Kampung Buda was disapproved under the Mid-term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan, the Public Works Department (JKR) will now reintroduce it in the 12th Malaysia Plan.
This was emphasised by Coastal Road Assistant Minister Datuk Julaihi Narawi in response to a question from Mohammad Razi Sitam (Saribas).
“At the moment, the road (Jalan Tanjung Assam to Kampung Buda) is categorised as a bund road under the monitoring of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
“The DID can register the road under the Malaysian Road Record Information System (Marris) and has to comply with the specification requirement before JKR can consider to take over the road,” he elaborated.
Julaihi added that the proposed road from Kampung Supa to Kampung Medang would be studied by the JKR before being introduced for implementation under the 12th Malaysia Plan.
The estimated cost to upgrade the 5km-Jalan Tanjung Assam-Kampung Buda stretch is RM30 mln while the upgrading project for the 14km-Jalan Kampung Supa-Kampung Medang stretch is RM70 mln.
At the same time, Julaihi also responded to Lo Khere Chiang (GPS-Batu Kitang) who asked why the state government had no plans to construct a flyover or underpass from Jalan Stutong, 7th Mile towards the new airport road, bypassing the traffic lights at Kuching Sentral.
However, he said, a project approved vide a letter dated Jan 11, 2018 to alleviate traffic jam on the east side of the Kuching International Airport (KIA), namely “Pembinaan Jalan Akses ke Kawasan Selatan ke Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuching, Sarawak” (Construction of Access Road to the Southern Side of KIA) under JKR.
“Realising the importance of this project, the Sarawak government has taken the initiative to solve the problem or to alleviate the traffic congestion in the area based on the outcome of the Kuching Urban Traffic Study, which was done in August 2012.
“Since the outcome of the traffic study by the Sarawak government justified the project to be implemented, we are very confident that the federal government, especially the JKR, will fund the project to its full completion,” he said.
On the latest status of this project, Julaihi said a value assessment or VA lab was being planned, to be conducted by the JKR this year to determine the scope and finalise the project cost for implementation.
“We have yet to get the actual date on when they will do the VA but I think that indicates that they are willing to come in to assist us to solve the problem in the area.
“The project is expected to be tendered in the middle of 2020 after the completion of VA and value engineering lab. It will become a reality when all these VA and value engineering lab are fully conducted,” he said.
