Aerial view of roundabouts - 80's to 90's

From aerial photo to satellite image - Roundabout 1 - 3

For more story about the development of Bintulu's first major roundabouts i.e. Roundabout One to Three (R1-R3) please go to my posting in another blog here

Roundabout 3 in 1990

Roundabout 3 - view looking towards Bintulu- Miri Road
Location : The R 3 is located 3 miles ( 5 km)  from Bintulu town centre
Date taken : 14 August,1990

 In 1990 there were four roundabouts in Bintulu.  The picture above shows the Roundabout 3, located at Km 5, Bintulu- Miri Road.  It was the biggest roundabout in Bintulu in the 1990's.  Over time all the four roundabouts were replaced with traffic lights junctions.  The building on top of the hill to the right is located within the Bintulu Police Divisional complex.  The yellow cover at the foreground are the yellow variety leaves of the Sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) which was a popular ground cover for landscaping in the 1990's.  In the 1990's the landscaping and beautification of Bintulu were a cooperative effort involving three major agencies..i.e. the JKR (Public Works), SESCO and BDA. 

Traffic Lights junction replaced the roundabout
Picture taken : 28 January, 2014.

Aerial view of Roundabout 3 showing the landscaping works at the roundabout and traffic islands surrounding it.
Date taken : circa 1990
Note the striking yellow colours of the Sweet potato cover plant at the traffic islands surrounding the roundabout.
The roadside planting and roundabouts landscaping during this time were  mainly advised by Arthur George Alphonso, Bintulu's first horticultural consultant....go here to see some other projects George was involved in Bintulu ..>>http://mybintuluhistory.blogspot.com/2007/09/bintulus-first-horticultural-consultant.html

Roundabout 3 - 1984

Date taken : 1984 ( Colour photo)

In the early 1980's when Bintulu was beginning to open up its hinterland, there was a need to disperse traffic coming in and out of town in an orderly fashion. This roundabout was called R 3 ( Roundabout 3) and is about three miles from the Bintulu town. Looking straight to the far background is the Bintulu - Miri highway. The road towards the left of the picture leads to Tanjung Kidurong, a new satellite township provided with modern facilities, a new deep-water port and a new heavy industrialised zone area to cater for oil and gas business. The picture also shows a worker in the process of planting the roundabout with cow grass ( Axonopus compressus) which became the standard turf for the landscaping of Bintulu roundabouts, traffic islands, road medians and road shoulders. Note the permanent structure on the top right of the picture. This building was and still is today the Headquarters of the Police Department in Bintulu.

Date taken : 1 Jan'11 ( Digital - Sony Cyber-shot)

Today, Bintulu boasts of a city image with over-sized advertising board. The board stands right in the midst of a traffic island of a traffic junction nearby that replaces the old roundabout after having lived its useful life. But alas, the CELCOM advertising board appears alien amidst Bintulu's greenery and clean image.

Roundabout 2 traffic island planting - 1980's

Date taken : 13 May 1984 ( Colour photo )

The above is a long shot view of the new dual carriageway from Roundabout 2 to Roundabout 1. The fact that there was going to be four roundabouts to be built in Bintulu in the 1980's sent signals that the town was developing. This was one of my first project on the landscaping of Bintulu roads. What is seen is a rockery concept to the traffic island. At the central median and road shoulders, grassing works using cow grass ( Axonopus compressus) are being undertaken. The electrical posts with underground cabling are about to be erected. On both sides of the road and along the central median are planted the Angsana trees ( Pterocarpus indicus) which were planted from stumps.

Date taken : 25 November'10 ( Digital image)

Today a drive along this carriageway will give the impression of entering a long tunnel of greenery. The presence of the huge trees are a welcome respite in the tropical heat as you can feel a sudden drop of 2-3 degrees in temperature while driving through the 'tunnel-like' greenery. Note: The use of Angsana trees for roadsides was so prevalent in Bintulu then that today Bintulu has the longest stretch of Angsana planting in Sarawak, an estimated 50 miles of Angsana planting from the Bintulu town to the Kidurong industrial zone.