He said the contractors involved should set a priority for the stretch concerned and to complete the project within March this year for it is a crucial access to reach the hospital particularly during emergency situation.

"I have met the sub-contractor and requested them to go for overtime works if necessary to make sure that the project can be completed within this month," he told reporters here after making a site visit of the road upgrading works here on Friday.

He also hoped that the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to engage consultants to conduct a comprehensive study on the drainage system along the aforementioned road and recommend a system that will be able to cater for the needs in the next 20 to 30 years.

Pbserving that the culvert drainage had been almost covered with earth, he viewed that such a system would not be able to maintain the strength of the land occupied by the road, causing flood that could cause the road to erode and eventually collapsed.

He recalled an incident just a few years ago at at one part of the Bintulu-Miri Road about 13 kilometres from here, where the area was flooded due to congested culvert system underneath the road. Eventually, the road collapsed and causing a danger to the road users.

Urging those involved in the system planning to be proactive and creative, Tiong added that they should also make sure that the selected measure would last for a long period as repairing works after a short period would be an unnecessary cost for the Government to bear.

On another note, he expressed his satisfaction with the overall progress of the trunk road upgrading works carried out by Naim Cendera, a contractor engaged for the Miri-Bintulu Road and Nyabau Road projects.

He was delighted to learn that the progress of the works were ahead of schedule after the company had been given until 2005 to complete the whole project.

During the upgrading works, he also hoped that those involved would continue to give high priority on the safety of the road users by placing sufficient warning signs and direction boards , as well as proper lightings and beacons during night on the stretches involved.

"I believe that they don't have to wait for VIPs to come through the road and only then that they will put up extra signboards. The people's lives are more important than the VIPs," he added.

He also saw the needs for the companies involved to keep the road surface sufficiently moistured during the current dry season to prevent extreme dusty condition that could pose danger to health as well as detering road users visions.