MIRI – The collapse of the northern Sarawak coastal highway linking Miri district to Bintulu district and beyond was caused by internal hillslope instability resulting from earth movement, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah.
The internal instability, in turn, was caused by water seepage from within the hillslope, he said today during a visit to the affected, located at a section of the highway route about 35km from Miri city.
He said the slope collapsed at the height of 20m along an 80m stretch.
“There was mass water seepage through the hill from one side to the other on October 9 that eventually loosened the (soil at the) foot of the whole slope.
“The pressure coming from water entering via the sides of the hill weakened the slope.
“Prolonged high-intensity rain further caused huge amounts of water to infiltrate the earth and that caused the slope to collapse,” he said at the site.
Uggah said state Public Works Department (PWD) director Richard Tajan had directed his engineers to carry out remedial measures to stabilise the slope before the highway could be repaired.
PWD teams are still clearing the tonnes of collapsed soil using tractors and excavators.
On the day of the slope collapse, there were also floodings in at least 36 populated localities in the districts of Bekenu, Kapit, Kanowit, Sibu, Subis and Baram.
The highway’s collapse saw the whole road broken into half, totally cutting off the route to all vehicles.
The coastal highway links Miri to Bintulu and the rest of southern Sarawak.
The other alternative route from Miri to Bintulu is via the old Pan Borneo Highway.
Motorists will have to pass through Miri city to enter this old highway that is undergoing major realignment and reconstruction.
The weather had been bad over the week, with torrential rain and violent winds happening daily, especially during the late night and early morning hours. – The Vibes, October 17, 2022
