Tun Salahuddin Bridge concessionaire agrees to end toll collection at 12 midnight Dec 31, govt fulfills pledge to abolish all tolls in the state
Adenan (second left) arriving at the State Legislative Assembly yesterday, accompanied by Housing Assistant Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah (right).
Vehicles entering Petra Jaya via the Tun Salahuddin Bridge stopping to pay toll at the toll plaza last night.
KUCHING: The toll for Tun Salahuddin Bridge at Petra Jaya here will be abolished effective Jan 1, confirmed Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem.
With the abolition of the toll at the bridge the whole of Sarawak would be toll-free, after Adenan’s administration successfully negotiated the abolishment of toll collection at Lanang Bridge in Sibu and Asean Bridge in Baram.
The tolls at Lanang Bridge and Asean Bridge were respectively scrapped in May and June this year.
“We have negotiated with the company concerned (Zecon Bhd), and they have been generous enough. The company agreed to the toll abolishment because they care for the people’s welfare,” he told a press conference after the DUN sitting adjourned yesterday.
When asked if the government offered any compensation to the concessionaire Zecon Bhd, Adenan said the state did not.
In the negotiation, the state government had agreed to meet Zecon’s request on purchasing its office building as well as the toll plaza infrastructure.
“We did not pay any compensation to the company apart from agreeing to meet their request for us to acquire their office building.
“We will make an offer to take over the toll plaza office. We will make an assessment on the pricing and the government is interested in using the building to accommodate the expansion of its sewerage plant infrastructure and office,” he said in explaining plans to utilise the office.
He earlier made the announcement on the toll abolishment of the Tun Salahuddin Bridge during his winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly sitting.
The six-lane, dual-deck Tun Salahuddin Bridge spanning the Sungai Sarawak was completed in 2003 and the concessionaire started collecting toll a month later.
The operation is managed by Zecon Toll Concessionaire Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Zecon Bhd.