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Abang Johari (left), Julaihi and others after the earth-breaking ceremony. – Photo by Muhd Rais Sanusi
KUCHING (Oct 24): Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the state government approved the proposed new Samarahan Highway project.
He said the project would be implemented in the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).
The proposed highway, he noted, is now being designed.
“The Samarahan Expressway is an alternative highway that bypasses the commercial district of Kuching and connects Santubong with Samarahan.
“Once completed, the Petra Jaya people can go to Kota Samarahan using the alternative highway; they don’t have to go through Kuching,” he said after the land-break ceremony for the improvement of five roundabouts along the Kuching highway. Samarahan here today. .
Abang Johari said that the alternative route was necessary in view of the fact that the coastal highway would be completed in the next three years.
He added that the completion of the coastal highway would generate a large volume of traffic entering and leaving Kuching on the coastal highway.
He noted that the new Samarahan Expressway would connect to Kuching through the bridge.
“The bridge will cross the Sarawak River somewhere near Sejingkat and from there it will be linked to Santubong via Jalan Sultan Tengah.
“That road that will be built is a dual carriageway, which will later become the entrance to the Santubong and Damai tourist area,” he said.
The prime minister said that through the federal highway it would be connected to Lundu and Samatan.
He said that for the Kuching side, the state government would upgrade the road to Bau into a dual carriageway.
He said that, in fact, all of Kuching would be connected by highway, which would also make it easier for foreign investors to establish their operations with the central business district of Kuching City.
“By having two-lane connectivity, mobility will also be faster and people won’t have to buy houses.
“Our population will spread and our City will be properly planned at the center of administrative, commercial and industrial operations.
“With the completion of the new highways, Kuching will not be congested and then we can preserve Kuching as a well-planned city,” Abang Johari said.
On the improvement of five roundabouts, Abang Johari said that today’s opening ceremony was one of the initiatives of the Sarawak government to ensure a short-term plan to overcome the problem of road congestion in Kuching and Samarahan.
The project will upgrade two roundabouts in Kuching district, namely Stutong Gyratory (Stutong Road roundabout), KORR Gyratory 2 (Tabuan Tranquility roundabout) and three roundabouts in Samarahan district, namely Gyratory G1 (ILP Sarawak Roundabout ), Gyratory G2 (Sarawak Heart Center Roundabout)) and Gyratory G3 (roundabout before INTAN).
Three roundabouts will upgrade to SMART traffic lights and two roundabouts will upgrade to “perforated” roundabout, which is estimated to reduce travel time from 60 minutes to 30 minutes (if all traffic lights are green) at rush hour.
The cost of the project is approximately RM 47.3 million, which is fully funded by the state government and is expected to be completed by January 14, 2022.
Also present was the Deputy Minister of Port Infrastructure and Development, Datuk Julaihi Narawi.
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