BERA, Sept 23 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi expressed hope that the newly-opened Al-Sultan Abdullah Bridge in Kampung Seberang Guai here would become an economic catalyst for the local community.
The Rural and Regional Development Minister said his ministry would continue to be proactive in the development agenda of the rural community to boost their prosperity in a comprehensive manner.
“I hope that this bridge will spur the local economy and connect the communities in this district with various social facilities,” he said after attending the opening ceremony here today, which was officiated by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who also consented to having the bridge named after him.
The 770-metre bridge spanning Sungai Pahang and its associated 799-metre road, cost RM98.5 million and was completed on Nov 30, 2021 after it was approved in 2016, and connects residents from nine villages, shortening travel to Bera town to 20 minutes from the previous hour and a half. It also serves as an alternative route for Bera residents to Temerloh and Kuantan.
The bridge was scheduled to be completed a year before but faced delays due to floods and the Movement Control Order during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The maintenance of the bridge has been handed over to the Pahang state government under the provision of the Malaysian Road Records Information System (MARRIS), Zahid shared.
In other developments, he said his ministry is currently implementing 32 rural road projects in Pahang costing a total of RM2.15 billion, with five of them in Bera.
The Federal Government, through his ministry, has approved development allocation totalling RM406 million for Pahang in 2023 to implement 127 development projects, he added.
