“Fix the bridge before something undesirable happens,” Manjoi Assemblyman, Datuk Asmuni Awi said.
He was commenting on the poor road condition at the Sungai Pari bridge in Chepor Structured Village Plan (RPT) which is a shortcut route for thousands of road users daily.
Besides that, he said the bridge is also a link for users who commute from Jalan Kuala Kangsar to Meru Raya.
Asmuni highlighted the bridge is hazardous due to its uneven structure and potholes in the middle.
Recent inspection at the location found that a layer of thin iron had popped out. It served as the concrete buffer for the top layer.
“The new construction plan at RPT Chepor is under the allocation and supervision of the Kinta District and Land Office.
“It is under the project to upgrade the bridge connecting Kampung Seri Klebang and Kampung RPT Chepor.
“The structure of this bridge is seen to be too frail as it is connected on a perforated connector and the piece of iron underneath is thinning out.
“The cracks are also getting wider, if heavy vehicles were to pass right on top of the crack, it would break and cause a bigger issue,” he told the media after inspecting the bridge recently.
Present was the local community who hopes to see an end to the problem.
Baharum Mohd Yusuf, 68, who has been living in RPT Chepor for more than 30 years, said the bridge, which is about 25 years old, needed to be repaired immediately.
“This issue has been ongoing for a long time and has even been highlighted several times to the authorities.
“The road condition on the bridge is also uneven, higher on one side and dangerous. As a result many accidents have happened,” he said.
He explained that there are more than 200 homes near the area and residents, especially from Klebang and Tasek Damai, use the bridge.
Meanwhile, another resident representative, Ahmad Shafiq Ahmad Ariffin said his party has been sending letters to the Perak Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) since 2019.
“Since 2014, there have been at least 10 accidents on the route of the bridge,” he said.
In the meantime, Asmuni also hopes that short-term action will be taken to solve the problem.
“We have informed the relevant parties about the latest condition of the bridge. We hope immediate follow-up action will be taken, especially by the District Office and JPS to repair the damage while waiting for long-term action to rebuild this bridge,” he said.
Rosli
