LUNDU: The construction of the Batang Rambungan Bridge is showing positive progress with a new target for completion set earlier, by July 2026, instead of the original schedule of July 2027.

Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said the decision was made after an official working visit to the project site on Monday, which was also attended by officers from the Public Works Department (JKR) and the contractors involved.

According to him, the 560-metre bridge worth RM82 million is now a ‘rescue project’ being handled by Titanium, a company that took over following the failure of the original contractor to complete it.

“This company has a strong reputation in bridge construction, and we found that most of the major materials are already available on-site, except for the cables which are still in the process of being delivered.

“With their strong workforce and financial resources, we are confident they can accelerate the project’s timeline,” he said during the working visit to the Batang Rambungan Bridge project.

The Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development added that with the improving weather conditions, there is optimism that the bridge can be completed according to the new target date.

In a related development, he reported that the transition from the previous contractor to the new one proceeded smoothly without major structural issues, as a result of close discussions and cooperation among all parties involved.

Additionally, he said the Sarawak Government is formulating a mechanism to upgrade former logging roads (‘jalan balak’) throughout the state, which were previously categorised as village roads.

According to him, this move is important to ensure that the maintenance of these roads can be carried out more effectively using larger allocations, including the Malaysian Road Records Information System (MARRIS) funds.

“When upgraded to a state road, we can use a larger allocation for maintenance.

“This is important because these former logging roads are widely used by rural communities for their daily commute,” he explained.

Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said that so far, the government has already held dialogues with elected representatives to prioritise the repair of damaged roads and bridges, and is now in the process of presenting a working paper to the State Cabinet for approval.

“We already have an estimated cost and a list of roads and bridges that need to be repaired. Now we are just waiting for approval for implementation,” he said.

Also present were Deputy Minister for Infrastructure and Port Development, Datuk Ir. Aidel Lariwoo, and other guests. -UKASnews