i still prefer the good ol' kuching w/out the highway...my dad drove to sibu recently and said that certain parts of the kuching-sibu road has been widened to 2 lanes and is very straight. the last time i had my roadtrip to outside serian was like erm...7-8 years ago...hahaha

highways arent really cool either....u see...if u wan highway...sure got toll imposed. and tolls arent cheap. whenever i wan to drive to KL , altho its only 1.5 hours, i nid to think and rethink again as toll will cost rm30++ already from melaka. petrol to and fro is around the price of the toll also...so its basically double lah...

basically sarawak has not enough population(number of ppl per sq. km is still super low compared to west malaysia) yet to have this kinda development la...if u got play sim city..then u know what i mean...small city...u build highway..the cost, maintainece etc. is high, and little ppl is using it. it will only bankrupt the town as the money in is not enough to support it.

anyhow..jus my 20cents

Well as I mentioned below I really think there are hundreds of positives but there are a few drawbacks. I was also talking about the negatives of having the road in place. I think all the problems Edgar pointed out are solvable, with hard work and dedicated people, and they are more problems with the actual construction than with the road itself.

Some of the problems I was thinking about when you have the road in place will be:
1. Negative environmental impact. If such a road (large 4 lane) was built through Borneo, environmentalists around the world would be worried. The “destruction of the rainforest” is always a major issue at any global environmental conference. I imagine a lot of people would protest the road.
2. Some towns would inevitably get bypassed by a little bit. In the interest of making the safest and best road certain small towns or areas that are directly on the old road would find themselves a bit farther from the new one. These people may have come to rely on the current road for some business. You could use the current roadbed as a guide but you can’t follow it exactly because it is sometimes too curvy and hilly, or there are buildings/houses too close to be safe/ideal. This may not be as bad since it will lead to drastically increase in the sheer number of people and there will be exits/connecting roads with signs to these areas. With the increase in traffic you will see people, in equal or greater numbers, stopping at exits to eat, sleep, and perhaps shop. Some roadside stalls will have to move though.

I also believe the toll should be reasonable too, not rm30+. Family cars should be VERY reasonable with only the heavy tariffs to busses and large trucks. Trucks and busses do the most damage to the road and as such should pay more to drive on it. For instance the 140 KM long Will Rogers turnpike in the U.S. only charges $3.50 for a passenger car but up to $20 for a truck. I think the price should be under RM 10 for the entire trip less if you stop earlier than Miri. You would also give residents on towns along the road a discounted pass. They are also free to leave the old road for those that don’t want to pay to drive a nice one.

Again the cost of building is high but you must think of it as an investment more than a cost. As I mentioned below you will see increased tourism, business, and trade all which add money to the government and the people of Sarawak. Also it shouldn’t bankrupt any town since it’s not a single town specific road. The road will cover numerous towns and the costs could be split between federal, state, local, and perhaps even private sources. Any civil engineer will tell you that the time to build infrastructure is before, not after, you need it.

Super Cool!! new22003

WOW those were really good points you have pointed out there new2203. Really cool.

Like the second point that you have mentioned just now about some small town folks realying on the old roads for business... I just remembered something. If anyone who are travelling from Kuching to Lundu/Sematan you won't have to use the ferry anymore for the Lundu bridge has been completed. The travel time has been cut down a lot. But there was one little side effect when this bridge was completed and the ferry service ceased its opreations.

If you guys still remember during the old days when the bridge was still being constructed and people travelling to and from Lundu/Sematan will have to use the ferry to cross the river. Along both sides of the ferry points villagers has open up small stalls selling drinks and snacks. Business in those days were really good. but after the bridge was completed and the ferry operation has ceased all this small stall closed down. if you guys take notice not a soul is to be seen working or opening the stalls. I guess that is it for those hawkers. Sad...

Have you guys watch the cartoon "cars"? Although our geograph is not as flat as the states but i believe a coastal highway is a viable project. Sort of what can be like the coastal "road" near pahang terengganu leading to Redang. . .

what coastal?

Coastal highway are for scenic drive LOL, and they are usually around 1.5x longer and 2x narrorwer than what an expressway could provide, and are usually old roads. Nobody would want to build a 'new' coastal way.

Quote: yep, that's why I put "road" with exclamation. But you are wrong bo, badawi goverment would wanna build such highway in terenganu, (announce after his chat with mahathir that day). heard that on KL chinese radio. interesting who this project goes to later.

perhaps there is something to see along the coast LOL

Over here in Sarawak, I bet there is nothing interesting to look at along the coast lol, and the money to build them are better off getting invested in our state for a proper highway.

Why don't you guys write a petition to ban the coastal highway project that Resuree was mentioning about, it is just a waste of money.

That amount of money could have been well invested for a project far more important, such as the topic of this thread.

Normally coastal highway (road) are build like decades ago because it is easier to build then and most little country town are along the coast.

Now, everybody wants to build an expressway that connect one city to another city in the shortest, and cleanest and straightest route possible, although costing more.

The coastal driveway idea is just a waste of money

The coastal highway idea may work, and even be superior, for a couple reasons.

From an engineering standpoint it is usually much easier to build along coastlines. Because of the way islands and landmasses are formed you usually find the land on the coasts are flatter/smoother. This would mean the roadbed would require less work to build. Even though the road may be a bit longer it can be much cheaper to build if you don’t have to do blasting or earthmoving. Also the word “coastal road” is a bit misleading. It also doesn’t have to exactly follow the coast, just use it as a guide and follow it when practical. Even the coastal highway in California doesn’t follow the coast exactly. Sometimes you will find yourself miles from it for practical reasons.

A coastal road would also be great for tourism. The road would provide access to the coastal areas tourists love. Many tourists around the world love the idea of a “road trip” vacation. Having a coastal road from Kuching to Miri would definitely attract those types of travelers. All of this would then encourage resort development by large hotel chains. The hotels would employ locals and pay taxes. With new hotels you attract more tourists who then bring more money. The money is spent locally on food, gifts, crafts, rentals, petrol, etc. It’s really an ever-increasing circle of growth. With the road providing easy access to new ocean front land and a good connection to tourists it could be a profitable situation for all those involved.

Oh come on mate, common sense and a little bit of research on the geographical layout of Sarawak land will tell you that it will not work. Here is an example of my little 'imaginary work' of Coastal vs Expressway route if it is to be considered in Sarawak. It may not be as close to what the real thing would be, but is an indication of why the Coastal Highway, IS NOT and WILL NOT be ideal and any superior than an Expressway concept.

Factor in the crazy amounts of river system that we have, having a coastal highway means you have to go all long the river till the end of it before you can continue on.

The white line in the picture is supposedly the 'Express Way' proposed route, it is not easy, but that is how it SHOULD be, cutting deep into Sarawak to by pass all the river, remember, making a highway to cut through the rivers requires extensive building of bridges which takes half a decade to complete (usually), so a straighter and more consistent design, faster for everone, shorter route, better land, and will be far more superior that having a costal way in Sarawak.

The other line is the coastal way, supposedly if it should be build, you can see how many tight turns along the coast and then meet up with a bloody wide river of more than 10 kms wide, so it is hands down, not impossible to build a bridge in the middle of nowhere that would cost an arm and a leg.

You be the judge and tell me which one is more superior and more practical.

Attach file:

---

  Clipboard02.jpg (93.39 KB)