KUCHING: Sarawak will be building a second bridge over Sungai Sarawak in Batu Kawa near here.
The bridge and a new 5km dual carriageway would be built at a cost of around RM160 million, Deputy Premier Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian announced today after attending a briefing by state Public Works Department (PWD) director Cassidy Morris.
Dr Sim, who is Batu Kawa assemblyman, said the bridge would alleviate daily traffic congestion in Jalan Batu Kawa, an important 9km arterial road between Batu Kawa and the state capital here.
He added that the Sarawak government had given its approval to the bridge project last year under the mid-term review of the 12th Malaysia Plan.
Going through an open tender, Dr Sim said the first step was to appoint the consultants. Then a geological survey would be conducted before land acquisition for the project.
According to the plan drawn up by state PWD, the proposed alignment of the dual carriageway will start from Jalan Batu Kawa/Matang traffic light junction at Moyan and end at the Jalan Tan Sri Wee Boon Ping and Jalan Datuk Stephen Yong intersection.
To further ease the traffic woes on the city's outskirts as a result of rapid housing development and population growth, Dr Sim said more alternative roads, like the proposed 3km link from Jalan Datuk Stephen Yong intersection to Matang through Segudup, would be built.
The current Batu Kawa bridge, officially known as the Datuk Temenggong Tan Meng Chong Bridge, was opened in March 2006.
It was constructed at a cost of RM16 million then. The bridge has also reduced travel time to the former gold mining town of Bau, and popular coastal areas of Lundu and Sematan.