| James Kon |
THE issues related to bad road condition that have been plaguing the residents around Mukim Serasa, Muara are being addressed through cooperation of stake-holders and various relevant government agencies.
Concerned about damaged roads and the wellbeing of the residents in Mukim Serasa, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar, the Minister of Development, and Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Yusof, the Minister of Communications, yesterday paid a visit to inspect the conditions of roads in the area.
The visit to five sites including a Casting Yard aimed to channel information to the public, esp-ecially the residents of Mukim Serasa and its surrounding areas on the measures that have been taken and those that will be carried out jointly by government agencies, logistic companies as well as other stakeholders.
As rapid developments are taking place in Serasa and Muara areas, the movement of heavy vehicles has increased cons-iderably, worsening the road conditions.
A number of short-term actions are being carried out to repair the damaged road in the affected areas.
In an interview, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi said, “Through the visit today, I want to look at the damaged roads of Jalan Perusahaan and Jalan Serasa. The Public Works Department (JKR) is planning to carry out steps to repair the roads.
“The affected roads are mostly village roads and are frequently used by heavy vehicles because of the numerous development projects; therefore the roads are badly affected. The JKR with the involvement of contractors has been carrying out repair works, and the roads will be upgraded soon.”
The Minister of Development also urged road users, especially drivers in the vicinity, to always be alert and reduce speed especially at night and during wet weather conditions.
The JKR with the cooperation of the Ministry of Communi-cations (MinCom) will install relevant road safety signage, he added.
Meanwhile, the MinCom urged the public to remain patient while the agencies carry out repair works.
He also advised road users, pedestrians and cyclists to be extra cautious when using the roads and comply with the regulations.
“The MinCom, through the Land Transport Department, will continue to host a number of dialogue sessions with logistic companies on compliance of regulations such as the weight of heavy vehicles and speed limit on small roads etc. We will also install speed limits as well as road safety signage.”
Present to welcome the ministers was YB Pengiran Haji Mohamed bin Pengiran Haji Osman @ Othman, a member of the Legislative Council, who is also the Village Head of Masjid Lama, Pekan Muara, Sabun and Pelumpong.
“As we can see, the road conditions of Kampong Serasa as well as Perpindahan Serasa are unsatisfactory. With the visit of the Minister of Development and Minister of Communications, Insya Allah, the affected roads will be repaired soon to ensure the wellbeing of the villagers.”
He also urged villagers to be patient while the repair works are being implemented.
According to the MinCom, the JKR is implementing temporary road repairs like levelling the high road shoulders and cleaning the roadside drains for the smooth flow of rain water from the road surface.
The works carried out are aimed to reduce damages to the roads caused after water gathered on their surface.
The contractor involved in the Temburong Bridge Project is carrying out repair works on the Jalan Serasa, the MinCom said, adding that the change of routing for heavy vehicles passing through Jalan Serasa to the construction site of the Temburong Bridge Project will be undertaken apart from moving of height barrier to minimise damages to the road.
Meanwhile, Jalan Perusahaan and roads surrounding the areas were also damaged due to overloaded heavy vehicles frequently using the roads. The JKR has carried out repairs in a number of sections of the affected roads.
DARe (Darussalam Enterprise) with the MoD will issue a tender for maintenance of a number of damaged roads under its jurisdiction including Jalan Perusahaan heading towards the Pulau Muara Besar bridge construction project and its surrounding areas. DARe is also planning to repair the nearby connecting road.
The MoD, the MinCom as well as relevant agencies urged the public, especially members of the local community, to be patient and understand the existing road conditions while waiting for repair works to be completed by the contractor in accordance with the procedures and standards set by the JKR.
Among other short-term measures taken by the MinCom, through the Land Transport Department, is the continuous enforcement operation including during night on heavy vehicles carrying overload in the Mukim Serasa area. The enforced speed limit for the area is 50km/hr for all vehicles.
The MinCom welcomed reports lodged by members of the public by using pictures or videos as evidence to the movement of overloaded heavy vehicles which could pose danger to the public. The reports can be lodged via WhatsApp at 8333123 or contacting the Land Transport Department’s enforcement unit at 7292017.
Also present were Haji Azhar bin Haji Ahmad, the Permanent Secretary at the MinCom; Javed Ahmad, the Chief Executive Officer of DARe; Dr Haji Supry bin Haji Awang Ladi, the Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MinCom; and Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria, the Director General of JKR.
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