Kuching: The construction of the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR), a crucial infrastructure initiative aimed at connecting remote areas in northern Sarawak with Sabah, is making steady progress, reaching significant milestones as of April this year. Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas announced that SSLR Phase 1 has achieved 52.27 percent physical progress and remains on track for completion by the fourth quarter of 2026.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, SSLR Phase 2 construction activities have commenced across all packages, involving site clearing, earthworks, and drainage works. As of April 2025, the overall physical progress of Phase 2 stands at 0.93 percent, with an expected completion by the third quarter of 2029. The SSLR project, approved in phases by the federal government in 2021, aims to establish a road network connecting Limbang, Miri, Lawas, and Sabah without passing through Brunei.

In addressing the progress of the Trans Borneo Highway (LTB) development, Uggah, who also serves as the state Minister of Infrastructure and Port Development, noted that the project continues to advance, with the Miri section currently in its design stage and scheduled for finalization by the second quarter of this year. Meanwhile, the procurement proposal for the Limbang and Lawas sections has been submitted to the federal Ministry of Works for approval by the Lembaga Perolehan (LP).

The Miri section is anticipated to be tendered in the third quarter of 2025, while the Limbang and Lawas sections are expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2026.