(From left) Mohammad Foad, Entri and Dr Rothiah being briefed by RAMD personnel on the 42km road linking Marudi with Miri.
MIRI: A call has been made for the government to commission upgrading works on the sole access road linking Marudi with this city and the rest of the state.
Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply) Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, who is also Marudi assemblyman, believes that the 42km stretch including six bridges is vital in transforming the socioeconomic status of the local folk.
“All sorts of vehicles are going through this road, which is considered the main access by people from Miri going to Marudi, and those from Marudi going to Miri and beyond,” he said after inspecting a section of the newly-completed road and the bridge at Sungai Arang in Bakong near here recently.
“With the road, those from Marudi are able to market and promote their products in Miri. Apart from that, more people from here are able to visit Miri as the journey has been made faster and more comfortable.
“In the past, this would take more than three hours. It would get worse during the rainy season as the old road would get muddy and slippery, making it dangerous to travel,” Entri said.
The project, which was approved in 2011, was carried out under the ‘Jiwa Murni’ programme involving members of the Royal Malay Army Regiment (RAMD).
For now, maintenance of the road is still under RAMD until the hand-over to the government via Public Works Department next year.
Entri was accompanied by his ministry’s deputy secretaries-general Datuk Mohammad Foad Abdullah (management) and
Datuk Dr Rothiah Omar (development) during the site visit yesterday.