KUCHING: The two-and-a-half day Northern Coastal Highway value assessment lab concludes with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan officiating its closing this morning.
Some 200 hundred representatives from consultancy firms, government agencies and stakeholders came together to iron out the details of the proposed 86km highway, which stretches across Limbang and Lawas and will finally connect to the border of Sabah.
The proposed project will be implemented by the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) via the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA).
In his closing remarks, Awang Tengah, who chairs the NRDA, said the project would benefit other proposed developments in the area, such as the proposed oil refinery in Lawas and tourism in Limbang.
He added that the project will provide the much needed road connectivity for the region which is strategically located near to Brunei, Sabah and Indonesia.
Meanwhile, RECODA chief executive officer, Datu Ismawi Ismuni said the involvement of elected representatives and other stakeholders in the lab is important as it would ensure that the project is thoroughly planned without leaving out the socio-economic impact on local residents.
Ismawi added that the findings of the lab will be presented to the Sarawak government for further fine tuning and deliberation.