New Matang highway to complete on schedule

KUCHING: The new highway leading to the proposed ‘mini Putrajaya’ or Sarawak’s new Federal Administrative Centre in Rambungan near Matang is expected to be completed in December.

The current progress status of the highway, consisting of 18km double-carriageway and a gateway bridge modelled after the one in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya, is 76 per cent.
This highway, which stretches from Rambungan to Taman Matang Jaya, was the Original Matang Route.

The 13.3km Revised Matang Route, which is from Taman Matang Jaya to Demak (not far from Sarawak Stadium), is currently four per cent completed and is expected to be ready by March 2011.

Both the Original Matang Route and Revised Matang Route, costing a total RM325 million and spanning a total 31.3km, are being built and designed by local firm Zecon Berhad.

Zecon executive director Abang Azahari Osman said yesterday both projects are progressing according to schedule.

“Upon completion, the road will provide free-flow access to Rambungan.

“It will also help to decrease the traffic volume thus providing relief from congestion on the existing Matang Road, especially for those living in Matang,” he told reporters at the project site yesterday.

Earlier, Azahari held an on-site briefing on the project for officers from JKR.

There was also a group from Saudi Arabia construction company, Bin Jarallah Group, led by its senior consultant Dr Hazem Mazen, brought there by Zecon group managing director Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad.

The Saudi group is in Kuching to hold talks on joint venture with Zecon.

According to Azahari, the Original Matang Route was revised because the state government wanted to avoid traffic congestion at the Petrajaya roundabout leading to the Satok Bridge.
“The government had vide the Letter of Acceptance of the Revised Matang Route, varied and substituted the terms, provisions, design, scope of work, specifications and other details of the Main Contract, which resulted in the Original Matang Route being shortened by 7km, from 25km to 18km from Rambungan up to Taman Matang Jaya.

“The said 7-km two-lane double carriageway which was to link with the city of Kuching at the Petrajaya roundabout, is replaced by a 13.3 km two-lane single carriageway Revised Matang Route,” he said.

Works on the Original Matang Route started in 2002 while works on the Revised Matang Route started in July last year.

According to him, works to lay in the premix for the lanes for the highway in Original Matang Route would commence next month.

“As for the gateway bridge over Sungai Salang, it is also the first concrete arch bridge in Sarawak. It is almost similar to the one in Putrajaya, and according to the wishes of then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he came to Rambungan years ago,” he said.

He also expressed confidence that the new highway would pave the way for direct Kuching-Lundu access and enhance the promotion of agriculture and tourism development in the local area.

Rambungan, which is near Lundu, is the site for the 2,020-acre proposed new Federal Administrative Centre for Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Zecon corporate affairs private manager Brandon Goh said public knowledge on this project had been very limited as it was almost not visible from the existing road.

“That is why we invited the media to come here, so that the public will be able to know about this project, especially those residing along Matang,” he said.

— Bernama