BINTULU: An RM215 million infrastructure project involving 11km of road between Kuala Serupai and Kuala Tatau as well as the Kuala Tatau bridge is on track for completion by Oct 21.
Project manager Erne Tiong said no delays are expected with the current workforce.
“As of May 2017, the construction is 91.9 per cent completed, which is about 15 days ahead of schedule,” Tiong told the BAT 7 team at the project site yesterday.
Besides the 724.86-metre bridge at Kuala Tatau, the project also includes two smaller bridges at Sungai Serupai and Sungai Segirut.
The three-year contract is a joint-venture between Pekerjaan Piasau Konkerit Sdn Bhd and China Yunnan Road and Bridges Engineering (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
At the peak of construction, about 200 workers were involved in the project, including 60 North Koreans.
“Overall, we do not have any problem in workforce. We even had a great team with the North Koreans,” Tiong said.
“They were hardworking people, working quite independently. They came here just to earn a living.”
He added that some could speak simple Malay.
Currently, there are about 120 workers working on the project.
Tiong praised Kampung Seberang folk for their cooperation on the project.
“They are nice and friendly, there were no complaints from them,” he said.
The project is part of the 928km coastal road from Kuching to Miri, which is expected to be ready in the next five years.
It involves five major bridges – Batang Lupar (RM1 billion), Batang Saribas (RM450 million), Batang Krian (RM133 million), Batang Igan (RM350 million), and Kuala Kemena (RM300 million).