KUCHING: The 22 infrastructure projects under the Upper Rajang Development Agency (Urda) are seeing some physical progress since the construction phase kick-started in the second half of last year.

Regional Corridor Development Authority (Recoda) in its latest Facebook post said these road projects have seen some sections moving into roadworks and bridgeworks stages while some others into site clearing and earthwork.

These projects are divided into three packages and cost a total of RM1.1 billion.

Package 1 consists of road projects in Bukit Goram, Katibas, Ngemah and Machan while Package 2 covers Pelagus and Baleh areas. Package 3 meanwhile covers Belaga and Murum areas.

“All these projects are expected to be completed by 2022,” noted Recoda in the post.

It explained Urda area covers approximately 100,000 sq kilometres with an estimated population of 169,000 and these projects will provide links to the interior areas of Kapit Division.

“It will also help to accelerate the development in Upper Rajang to increase connectivity and capitalise on the hydroelectric plants (HEPs) in the region, namely Bakun, Murum and Baleh.”

Urda is one of the development agencies established by Sarawak government under Recoda to expand the Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) area into the interior and rural parts of the state.

Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg when speaking at SCORE’s 10th anniversary celebration dinner on Nov 17, 2018 had said the setting up of these agencies was “in tandem with the state development agenda to accelerate the development of physical infrastructure and amenities in these areas in order to modernise the rural economy.”