MUKAH: The smart traffic light installation project at the Wawasan Road junction is now almost complete with a progress of 99 per cent, and is expected to begin operations on December 24.

Tellian Assemblyman Royston Valentine said the remaining works only involve finishing touches such as site cleaning, road markings and sensor calibration, which are expected to be completed within a day.

"The early operation of these smart traffic lights is very important to ensure smooth traffic flow ahead of the Christmas festive season, given the increase in the number of vehicles entering and leaving Mukah during this period until the end of the year," he said when met while monitoring the progress of the project on Monday.

Meanwhile, he also expressed his appreciation to the Mukah Division Resident Office, Dalat and Mukah District Council (MDDM) as the implementing agency, relevant departments under the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the contractor for their strong commitment in ensuring that the project is completed according to the set specifications and quality.

Royston explained that the project had previously faced challenges involving underground cable and utility issues that required coordination with the Sarawak Energy Supply Corporation (SESCO), with construction work resuming immediately after the issues were successfully resolved.

He also informed that the contractor has been told to improve the positioning of the sensors based on experience from the implementation of smart traffic lights at the Setia Raja junction, to ensure the vehicle detection system functions more effectively without disrupting traffic flow.

With the completion of this project, he expressed hope that it would enhance road safety at the junction which had previously been identified as an accident-prone area.

Also present during the visit were Mukah Division Resident Datu Kueh Lei Poh, Mukah District Police Chief Muhammad Rizal Alias, and MDDM Secretary Abdul Razak. -UKASnews