The Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) construction works begin

Kuala Lumpur, 1 November 2021 – The ground breaking ceremony to mark the beginning of physical work of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) project took place on 30 October 2021.

Among the attendees were Senior Minister of Works, YB Dato’ Sri Haji Fadillah Bin Haji Yusof; Sarawak Chief Minister, YAB Datuk Patinggi Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg; Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak, YB Datuk Amar Haji Awang Tengah Ali Hasan; Director of Works, YBhg Dato’ Ir Mohamad Zulkefly Sulaiman; and Deputy Secretary (Policy & Development) of Ministry of Works, YBhg Wan Ahmad Uzir Wan Sulaiman.

The SSLR project is under the 11^th Malaysia Plan: Rolling Plan 3, which was submitted to the Ministry of Works Malaysia. The Public Works Department (JKR) Malaysia has been appointed as the implementation agency and the programme manager, while JKR Sarawak as the project director in charge for the supervision at the construction level.

The project brief is to create a network of roads connecting Sarawak and Sabah without going through Brunei Darussalam. The construction of the roads is expected to allow those living in the rural areas to travel more safely and more comfortably.

The first phase will connect Lawas and Long Lopeng Crossroads, with a distance totalling 77 kilometres and a cost totalling RM1.13 billion. This route adheres to State Planning Authority’s (SPA) standard and was approved by the Sarawak State Government in September 2020.

The scope of the project also involves:

• Tourism infrastructure and the existing roads;
• A drainage system and sewer;
• Road furniture and street lights;
• Implementation of Traffic Management Plan;
• Implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Protection Work;
• Land investigation and site investigation work;
• Geotechnic work;
• Measurement work and land recruitment; and
• Distribution and protection of utilities

The project is expected to be completed on 8 January 2026, with 53 months of construction period.

– Construction+ Online