BY ASYRAF HALIM
SEBUYAU: The Batang Lupar 1 Bridge was officially opened to the public on Thursday (May 21), ending dependence on ferry services and reducing travel time across the Batang Lupar River to just about five minutes.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the 4.884-kilometre bridge is the longest river bridge in Malaysia.
“The RM848 million project was fully funded using Sarawak government funds and stands as one of the state’s major infrastructure achievements.
“The Sarawak government was able to finance this project using its own funds under the leadership of Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, who successfully increased the state’s revenue.”
Uggah said this during the pre-launch ceremony marking the opening of the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge to the public.
He noted that the bridge has transformed the development landscape of Sarawak’s coastal areas by narrowing the physical and economic gap among the people.
“With the completion of this bridge, travel from Kuching to Miri via the coastal road no longer requires ferry services. Ferries are now history along this route.”
Uggah said ferry services are now only needed at several remaining locations, including Paloh and crossings over Batang Rajang.
“Several existing ferries will be relocated to interior areas that still require such services, including Bruit, Sedaya and Tanjung Embang.
“Previously, users had to wait for ferries and spend between 30 and 50 minutes crossing Batang Lupar depending on weather conditions, but now the journey only takes around five minutes.”
Meanwhile, Minister for Utility and Telecommunication Datuk Seri Julaihi Narawi, who is also the Sebuyau assemblyman, said the bridge is among the key projects under the Sarawak Coastal Road development plan.
“As everyone knows, the Batang Lupar Bridge project faced various challenges during its implementation. At the time, the Premier said the construction should continue and that the state government would find its own funding, and today proves that the GPS government is capable of delivering on its promises to the people of Sarawak.”
During the same event, Uggah also announced that the Batang Lupar Half Marathon will be held on July 12 and will be open to the public.
