KUCHING: Pending assemblywoman Violet Yong yesterday thanked Infrastructure and Ports Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing for adopting her suggestion to engaging a third-party consultant to investigate the root cause of the tilted pillar of the Satok Suspension Bridge over the Sarawak River.

Yong, in her press statement, said she fully supported the minister’s wise decision to investigate the Public Works Department (JKR) Sarawak.

“It (JKR) cannot be both ‘judge and jury’ at the same and thus, a third-party consultant must be appointed to conduct an independent investigation to avoid cover-ups and disclaim of responsibility,” she said.

Yong also called upon Masing to make known publicly the duration needed for the investigation to be concluded.

“Secondly, the result of the investigation, and thirdly, the proposed solutions and cost required to rectify such structural problems.”

Yong also urged the minister to make a full disclosure about the 9 mega bridges along the coastal highway which the state was going to build.

“Were all the bridges designed by JKR Sarawak or external consultants?” she asked.

“If all the nine huge bridges are designed by JKR Sarawak, what are the precautionary measures being taken to ensure that the work is properly done and the bridges will not have the same problem as the Satok Suspension Bridge?” she added.

“The nine mega bridge projects mentioned by the minister are the 560-metre Batang Rambungan Bridge, 5.1-km Batang Lupar Bridge, 1.55-km Batang Saribas, 690-metre Krian Bridge, 2.44-km  Muara Lassa Bridge, 1.208-km Batang Rajang Bridge, 1.7-km Batang Paloh Bridge, 1.8-km Batang Igan Bridge  and 1.212-km Jepak Kemena Bridge,” added Yong.