Abang Johari (third right) and Awang Tengah (second left) on a field visit to the Lawas Waterfront project
LIMBANG: Sarawak will build the Pan Borneo Highway’s 12km ‘missing link’ road from Limbang to Brunei which has been withheld by the Federal government, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said.
He said he and deputy chief minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan had agreed that the road was a vital infrastructure link which would boost bilateral economic cooperation and facilitate travel of people and goods.
“In our meeting with His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei, we had assured him that the Sarawak State Government will undertake to build this road if Putrajaya is not willing, “ he said, without disclosing when he had met the Sultan.
Abang Johari also did not disclose the cost of the project but it is believed that it would be under the coastal road network.
He emphasised that the link was vital in developing the economy in Limbang as well as the halal food industry with Brunei.
In the aftermath of the 14th General Election, Works Minister Baru Bian had decided to revise the Pan Borneo Highway route.
He proposed that the new route pass through Baram into upper Lawas in Sarawak and Long Pasia in Sabah, bypassing the stretch through Brunei, Limbang and Lawas.
This had caused consternation in Limbang and Lawas where the proposed route was already approved by the state and federal governments previously.
The Chief Minister is here today to monitor the progress of the RM22.8 million Limbang Waterfront upgrading project Phase I and a RM3.6 million overhead pedestrian walkway in town.
Abang Johari was also briefed on the proposed second phase of the waterfront project which will make it the longest in the state at 1.6 km.
The chief minister said both Limbang and Lawas has tremendous potential for economic development and both would undergo a major transformation within five years with the slew of projects undertaken by the state government.