KUCHING: It was a mostly smooth, sometimes bumpy but altogether enchanting drive to the north-western coastal town of Pekan Sematan, about 100km from the state capital.
The forested hills, the rocky boulders, meandering rivers and villages all make for a scenic and memorable journey through rural Sarawak.
Slow-moving lorries carrying crude palm oil, construction materials and living goods reminded us that the two-lane single carriageway is a main route for commerce that is about to grow in importance as part of the Pan Borneo Sarawak Highway.
Work has already begun to link Sematan, which is in the Tanjung Datu constituency of Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, with Telok Melano, more than 30km further north at the coastal tip close to Kalimantan.
Adenan had pushed hard for the Pan Borneo Sarawak Highway, which Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched in September 2015.
The Pan Borneo Sarawak Highway will cut across the state from Telok Melano in the northwestern tip to the eastern Merapok town in Lawas where it will connect with Sabah.
The Pan Borneo Highway covering the two states is estimated to cost RM27 billion, with RM14.2 billion allocated to the Sarawak side stretching over 1,089km. The entire length of the highway will be 2,239km.
Work has already begun to link Semantan to Telok Melano, and is causing much excitement among the locals.
The Sematan folk are mostly fishermen and farmers, some are boat operators and others tourist guides. The young people, if not at sea or tilling the land, prefer to work in the cities.
Telok Melano is a village with 200 to 300 residents in similar lines of work. Some of the younger ones are tourist guides, taking advantage of the proximity of the Tanjung Datu national park - which, at 14 sq km, is the smallest in Sarawak but arguably the most beautiful.
There are no proper roads on the rough terrain between Telok Melano and Sematan, and travel is mostly by sea.
Boats from Sematan to Telok Melano are infrequent and unscheduled, and are not in service during the monsoon season (October-February) due to high seas.
A big boat costs RM700 and a speed boat RM450 to hire for unscheduled trips.
The locals, including teachers, in Telok Melano complain about transport problems because they have to do their shopping in Sematan.
If not for the travelling dificulties, many more tourists and other visitors would come to Telok Melano.
The building of the two-lane single carriageway to Telok Melano means much more than convenience of travel for locals.
The locals themselves know this. It is remarkable how well the people we spoke to understand the Chief Minister’s vision for the highway.
Major investments, they said. More plantations, more factories, more jobs, more chances for business, bigger market for our products.
The highway, as one businessman put it, will be a “link of a thousand opportunities.”
“Things are about to change. Big things are coming,” said businessman Mohd Habib Mohd Anuar.
The highway will open up the region for development and enterprise, said the 43-year-old Sematan native.
“It will definitely make it easier for us local traders to go to Telok Melano, and I think living conditions there will be much improved.
“And for that, I would like to thank the government, especially the Chief Minister, for taking our plight into consideration,” Mohd Habib said.
According to project manager Foo Kee Seng, the Telok Melano-Sematan 32.77km stretch was estimated to cost around RM580 million.
Work on it started in April last year and is scheduled to be completed in 39 months. The construction is being carried out with 300 to 500 workers.
With the Samunsam Wildlife Sanctuary on one side and the South China Sea on the other, the new road is certain to make a scenic drive.
Two spur roads will be built to improve access to Kampung Telok Serabang and Tanjung Datu National Park. -- Bernama