ID Now Involved in Rural Road Construction

Roads, especially good ones are an essential means of access to and from a particular destination. In today’s fast-paced trade and commercial demands, access to and from markets are even more crucial and hence good roads play a major role in enhancing better commu-nication between one point and another.

The Public Works Department (JKR) has always been the agency entrusted with road construction in Sarawak until fairly recently when the task of some rural road construction is undertaken by the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID).

One such project in Sri Aman Division is the Matop/Beduru/Teburu/Pelawa roads in Betong District, one of four major districts located just under an hour’s drive from Sri Aman town centre.

The project involved the construction of approximately 5 km-long road from the main trunk road along Sg. Paku. As well as serving the villages of Matop, Beduru, Teburu and Pelawa which has a combined population of 500 people, the proposed road will provide a better means of travel and communication for the longhouse residents as well as opening up more land for agricultural development.

The project is implemented with federal fund of RM7.93 million from the Ministry of Rural Development and the overall physical progress up to the end of November 2000 is about 12% with site clearing of the road reserve completed and roadway excavation and culvert construction in progress. The expected completion date for the road is August 2001.

Excavation of embankment toe drain

Construction of 1.5 metre diameter pipe culvert

Site clearing of water-logged swamp

Site clearing of undulating hills