Sarawak officially opened the Batang Lupar 1 Bridge to traffic on 21 May, ushering in a new era of connectivity across the state’s coastal corridor while ending a decades-long dependence on ferry crossings.
Stretching 4.884km across the Batang Lupar river, the structure is now the longest river-crossing bridge in Malaysia. It links Sebuyau and Triso in Maludam, replacing the long-running ferry service between the two towns.
The bridge opened at 4pm on 21 May, strategically timed just ahead of the Gawai Dayak and Hari Raya Haji celebrations — periods that historically saw heavy balik kampung traffic and notoriously long queues at the ferry point. For the first time in years, thousands of travellers heading towards interior and coastal towns will bypass the Sebuyau-Triso congestion entirely.
The ferry service officially ceased operations on 22 May.
Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg marked the occasion with a light-hearted remark in the Iban dialect: “Sikda gago nak bertunggu feri lagik” — roughly meaning there is no longer any need to rush or worry about waiting for the ferry.
Built at a cost of RM848.75 million and fully funded by the Sarawak state government, the bridge charges no toll fees.
The two-lane, single-carriageway cable-stayed structure is built to JKR R5 standard, the same classification used for major federal highways, with a design speed of up to 90 km/h. Its construction required 87 concrete piers driven into the riverbed.
Travel time along Sarawak’s coastal corridor has been drastically reduced. Abang Johari noted that journeys between Kuching and Simanggang which previously took six to seven hours have been substantially shortened as the broader coastal road network takes shape.
The Batang Lupar 1 Bridge is the 10th completed bridge out of 21 major bridges planned under Sarawak’s Coastal Road Network and Second Trunk Road Programme under the 12th Malaysia Plan. Eight more bridges are expected to be completed by the end of 2026, with full statewide road connectivity targeted by 2030. The overarching goal is to eliminate ferry dependency across Sarawak entirely.
At 4.884km, the bridge officially overtakes the 1.7km Sungai Johor Bridge as the country’s longest river-crossing bridge. Penang bridges remain longer overall but are classified as sea crossings.
Source: Says.com
