JULAU: The Sarawak government is stepping up efforts to upgrade former logging roads across the interior to improve connectivity and accessibility for rural communities.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the government was assessing the condition of the roads taken over for upgrading to determine the necessary improvements.
“The objective of this XPDC 3.0 is to look at the condition of former logging roads that have been taken over by our government for upgrading.
“These logging roads do need to be upgraded. So today, we came down together with the Public Works Department (PWD) Sarawak so that we can assess what needs to be done to these former logging roads,” he said.
He said this in his official Facebook post, after inspecting the Nanga Maong Road Construction Project during the second day of XPDC 3.0 on Thursday (Aug 13).
The expedition covered Nanga Maong, Nanga Ju, Ulu Ju, Entabai and Rantau Bandau, focusing on infrastructure conditions and connectivity needs in the interior.
One of the key projects inspected was the Nanga Maong Road Construction Project, which was 2.68 per cent ahead of schedule as of Jul 25.
The project had achieved 32.25 per cent physical progress compared with the scheduled 29.57 per cent.
The RM70.18 million project, undertaken by EPR (Kuching) Sdn Bhd with Jurutera CSD Sdn Bhd as consultant, commenced on April 29, 2024, and is scheduled for completion on Mar 5, 2028.
It involves the construction of 13.6 kilometres of road based on the Modified PWD R1 RC Road standard, comprising Jalan A (8.97km), Jalan B (4.426km) and Jalan C (0.19km).
The project also includes the construction of three reinforced concrete bridges measuring 70m, 60m and 75m respectively.
At SK Nanga Ju, Uggah also announced approval for the construction of an access road to longhouses in Nanga Ju and Sungai Mujok, as well as a steel bridge to improve connectivity for residents.
The expedition later proceeded to Rumah Gerasi and Rumah Mengiring in Ulu Ju, followed by several locations in Entabai and Rantau Bandau.
XPDC 3.0 was held from Aug 12 to 13, with the first day covering five projects in Ulu Skrang and Ulu Kota.
Uggah said the expedition allowed the state government and PWD Sarawak to directly assess infrastructure conditions and identify priority improvements needed to strengthen connectivity in the interior.
