SARAWAK should shelve a proposed second trunk road from Kuching to Sibu as the main coastal road and the Pan-Borneo Highway projects further inland were more urgent but were yet to be completed.

Batu Lintang assemblyman See Chee How of PKR said there was no need to rush to build the second trunk road said to cut by 200km the travelling distance between Kuching and Sibu.

This is because the the proposed road fell short in terms of design and planning, soil investigation, and survey and risk assessments, he said.

“The work scopes are broadened and exaggerated to jack-up the project cost.”

The road funded by the state government is projected to cost between RM4 billion and RM6 billion.

See said instead of spending such a “lavish” sum on the road, the state government should be prioritising the completion of the 906km coastal road to link Sematan in Kuching to Miri.

The project is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and was approved 32 years ago under the Fifth Malaysia Plan.

Calling the long delay an “embarrassment”, See said there was no clear indication when the project would be completed. 

Seven major river bridges in the project were yet to be built and vehicles were limited to the ferry for crossings.

See was recently appointed as the Sarawak special officer to Works Minister Baru Bian to represent him in matters related to his portfolio involving the state.

State Infrastructure Development and Transport Minister James Masing in July told the state assembly that the second trunk road would provide a shorter route between Kuching and Sibu than the Pan Borneo Highway or the coastal road.

See said the second trunk road should not be a priority as the state was also facing high costs from building the two other mega road projects. – August 19, 2018.