Malaysia’s Bagan Datuk bridge connecting Hilir Perak and Kampung Sejagop wins second place in REAAA’s Community Road Category award
KUALA LUMPUR: The Bagan Datuk-Kampung Sejagop bridge connecting Hilir Perak and Kampung Sejagop in Perak Tengah has secured second place in the Community Road Category of the Mino Best Project Award.
This recognition came during the 17th Road Engineering Association of Asia and Australasia Conference held from October 27 to November 1 in Goyang, South Korea.
Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi received the award from REAAA president Dr Sung-Hwan Kim at the conference’s closing ceremony.
He highlighted that this ministry-supervised project connects two major Perak districts with a 10-kilometre route taking just seven minutes.
This represents a dramatic improvement over the previous 67-kilometre journey that required an hour of travel time.
“The facility really makes it easy for residents to go about their daily concerns, speeds up delivery of agricultural produce and opens up a lot of economic and tourism opportunities in Bagan Datuk,” Nanta said in a statement.
He added that the bridge features a sophisticated eco-friendly design using a box culvert system to maintain connectivity for nearby residents.
The project includes navigation lights for ship and boat safety and was specifically engineered for peat soil and coastal conditions to ensure long-term sustainability.
This infrastructure serves as a catalyst for community connectivity while expanding access and mobility between two major districts.
It stands as an engineering model that successfully balances technical competence, social welfare and environmental sustainability.
In a related achievement, Malaysian professional engineer Datuk Dr Dennis Ganendra of Minconsult Sdn Bhd received the prestigious Hwang Award.
This special recognition honours individuals who have made significant contributions to REAAA and regional road engineering development.
Nanta described Dennis’ recognition as proof that Malaysian engineering capabilities now match those of developed countries and gain international acknowledgment.
“This isn’t just about a win by a single project, but a victory for all Malaysia’s engineers,” the minister emphasized.
He noted that this achievement reflects the nation’s capabilities and spirit in building infrastructure that connects districts while uniting and developing communities.
“With two main awards, the REAAA Mino Best Project Award and the REAAA Hwang Award, Malaysia again proves local engineering prowess can produce high quality projects that are resilient and people-oriented,” Nanta added. – Bernama
