Batang Paloh Bridge opens and ends a ferry link to Pulau Bruit

The Batang Paloh Bridge opened on Friday 30 October in Sarawak. It ends the ferry service at Batang Paloh, so cars can now drive onto Pulau Bruit.

The bridge cost RM298.98 million and is 1.7 km long. It is one of Sarawak’s big transport projects that the state funds on its own.

Here is what the bridge is, who it helps and what is still to come.

What Batang Paloh Bridge is

The bridge links Mukah and Tanjung Manis, Dayak Daily reported.

First, the design. It is a two-lane concrete bridge, Sarawak’s Public Works Department says. It was built using the balanced cantilever method.

It has 10 river spans and six approach spans. Next, boats can pass beneath it. The gap is 120 metres wide and 20 metres high.

Also, the access roads add to its reach. There are 1.71 km of road on the Pulau Bruit side and 2.932 km on the Tanjung Manis side.

Then came the opening. Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas opened it at a soft opening ceremony. Uggah released the first traffic as a symbol. He is also Sarawak’s minister for infrastructure and port development.

Overall, the bridge is the 13th to be finished under a plan for 22 large bridges in Sarawak. The state pays for the whole plan.

How the bridge helps the community

Now, who benefits? Pulau Bruit is an island of about 417 square km in the Rejang Delta, in Daro District. Its population was 9,342 in 2016.

Until now, people and goods crossed by ferry. During festive and school holidays, the wait could reach several hours, reports say.

Then the bridge links the island to Tanjung Manis, Daro and Sarikei. Also, it joins the Muara Lassa Bridge, which was already finished.

Farmers say the change matters. Oil palm smallholder Omarmayah Rosli uses four pickup trucks a day. They take fruit to buyers in Sarikei.

Omarmayah said the bridge will let the fruit go out at any time. However, no travel time has been given for the new route.

Meanwhile, the village head of Kampung Semop, Kamri Haron, called the bridge a symbol of progress.

Reports say farming, fishing and transport should grow on the island. The state also says the bridges will strengthen the coastal road network.

What the state says is next

First, the Public Works Department said better links should help commerce, farming and tourism. It calls the area Sarawak’s coastal development corridor.

Uggah said at the State Assembly on 21 October that 12 of the 22 bridges had opened since November 2024. Those 12 cost RM6.55 billion.

That makes the Batang Paloh Bridge the 13th. However, nine more are still to come, and the reports give no dates for them.

Still, the reports do not say what will happen to the ferry landings. They do not say if the ferry staff will move to other jobs.

Two reports call the opening a soft opening, and none gives a later date for a full ceremony. So check for notices from the state.

In short, drivers can use the bridge now, and the island is no longer cut off by the river.

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