Another 500km of roads in Sarawak by end 2012

KUCHING: Sarawak will build another 500 kilometres of new roads in the state by the end of next year, state Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister, Datuk Seri Michael Manyin, said on April 26.

Under the National Key Result Area (NKRA) for a three-year period beginning last year, Manyin said Sarawak was allocated RM2 billion to build roads.

"We have tendered out 91 projects. We managed to complete 240 km of new roads last year. We hope to do the same this year and also next year," he told during the press conference. 

He said RM3.6 billion had been allocated to the ministry to build more link roads in the state, beginning last year. 

Earlier, Manyin, who is also the state Road Safety Council chairman, received a mock cheque for RM265,000 from Shell Malaysia Corporate Communication and Media manager Peing Tajan a during a courtesy call on him.
  
Manyin also said that the Public Works Department (PWD) had tendered out projects worth RM4.7 billion to build access roads within the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) in the central region of Sarawak. 

Due to the difficult terrain, he said, constructing every kilometre of the access roads would cost about RM10 million. 

"It is very expensive to build roads in Sarawak due to the difficult terrain and peat soil in many places," he explained.-- Bernama