Bintulu-Jepak bridge will facilitate movement to town centre

BINTULU - The construction of the Bintulu-Jepak bridge, which is expected to be completed in 2025, will facilitate and smooth the journeys of the local population to Bintulu town centre, especially during peak hours.

Kampung Jepak resident, Masni Kamis, 45, said that the traffic congestion was particularly noticeable in the morning and evening.

Masni, who works as a trader, explained that the situation made her choose to use the boat service to cross Sungai Kemena to run her business outlet at Pasar Tamu Bintulu.

"The existing road is quite a distance, usually in the morning it can take about 30 to 40 minutes to get to Bintulu city centre as students go to school and workers start going to work at that time," she told Bernama.

Meanwhile, Jelenini Dajang, 60, said that she expected the construction of the bridge will become a new landmark for Bintulu.

"Usually in towns and cities, bridges are among the landmarks which can become a tourist attraction. I hope that this bridge will not only make it easier for us to move about but also open up opportunities in terms of tourism,” she said.

On March 5, Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said that the bridge project, worth more than RM466 million and stretching about one kilometre, was 49.31 per cent complete.

Uggah, who is also Sarawak Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development, said that the project's contractor had also overcome the labour shortage issue they had previously faced, by bringing in workers from China. - BERNAMA