THE proposed road from Sarawak’s northern town of Miri to the state’s northern most districts of Limbang and Lawas will be shorter after its recent realignment, Deputy Chief Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan said today.

He said a realignment study is under way to assess the length of the road and its cost.

The Sarawak link road bypasses the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei.

Presently, those who wish to get to Limbang or Lawas by road, including Sarawakians, need a valid passport to pass through Brunei.

Limbang is hemmed by Brunei proper and its district of Temburong, while Lawas is hemmed in by Temburong and Sabah.

Speaking to reporters after addressing consultants attending the northern coastal highway value assessment laboratory in Kuching today, Awang Tengah said the Sarawak link road from Miri will snake to Mulu.

The road, however, skirts the Mulu National Park listed as a World Heritage site since November 2000.

From Mulu, it will then snake through dense forest to Gunung Buda to link up with the 34km Limbang-Gunung Buda road already under construction for the connection to Limbang.

Awang Tengah said the Limbang to Lawas stretch will see the road go through some of major settlements in the hinterland of Baram, such as Long Semado and Ba’Kelalan.

“In the future, the plan is to connect it to Bario.”

Bario, in the highlands of Baram with its cool climate, is a popular tourist destination.

To get to these settlements, one must either take a rural air service flight or logging roads, which are dusty during the dry season and mud churned during the wet.

Awang Tengah, who hails from Lawas, said the Sarawak link road will be a catalyst for the development of Limbang and Lawas’ hinterland.

On the northern coastal highway project, he said it fits well into the overall development plan for Sarawak’s northern region.

“This highway is important as it will provide much needed road connectivity for efficient transportation and logistics in the region,” he said.

The region is strategically located as it is close to Brunei, Sabah and Kalimantan.

“This highway will allow us to foster greater trade and investment of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asean Growth Area).

“It will bring tremendous economic prosperity to the region.”

He added the 86km highway could also spur connectivity to new developments in the oil and gas industry, such as the onshore blocks in Limbang, which is still under study, and the proposed multi-billion dollar Chinese oil refinery in Lawas. – September 25, 2020.