KUCHING: Work on the RM150 million Samarahan Bridge is expected to commence this year, says Asajaya assemblyman Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
He said the bridge is urgently needed due to the increasing number of vehicles now depending on the river ferry to commute to and from Asajaya and beyond.
“The project is already tendered out, and I expect work to start this year and it will take two years to be completed,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Karim, also Assistant Minister of Social Development (Urban Youth) and Assistant Minister of Housing, said the bridge would cut travelling time from Kuching to Asajaya by 30 minutes.
At present, motorists have to wait turns to board the ferry to cross the Samarahan river, or were forced to take the longer route during low tide, when travelling from Kuching to Asajaya and vice versa.
“The bridge is a major issue in Asajaya since many of the folks there now own vehicles and they need faster way to get to Kuching and vice versa. Therefore, it is much needed by us,” he said.
He revealed the land needed to build the bridge, from Kampung Baru in Kota Samarahan across the Samarahan River until Kampung Tambey in Asajaya, had already been acquired by the government.
The approval of the project by the federal government was officially announced by Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin last year.
He described it as a special gift for the people of Samarahan division.
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