Revive second JB-Singapore bridge project, says Mukhriz

KUALA LUMPUR: It is time to restart the bridge project to replace the Causeway linking Johor Bahru and Singapore since all customs, immigration and quarantine matters will be handled at the new Customs, Immigration & Quarantine (CIQ) Complex.

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun-BN) said the new road linking Bangunan Sultan Iskandar to the Causeway has caused major traffic congestion in Johor Bahru and feels it is time to restart the project.

“Actually, I have said this in 2005 when the decision was first made to cancel the project. There was a debate on whether the bridge should be a straight one or a scenic one, and the project was cancelled supposedly because the Johor people themselves didn’t want it.

“However, we know that Johoreans were not amenable to the sale of sand to Singapore and to allowing their airspace to be used by Singapore jet fighters, which I think are valid concerns.

“But never did they say that they didn’t want the bridge. Now I feel that, in support of the statement made by Pemuda Johor, particularly Johor Umno Youth information chief Khalid Mohamad (who is also Johor Bahru Umno Youth chief), the bridge project should be looked into again with the possibility of having it restarted as soon as possible,” he said in parliament lobby yesterday.

Mukhriz also said the bridge would support the Iskandar Malaysia development and also enhance trade between Singapore and Malaysia, in particular Johor.

It would also contribute towards the well-being of the Indonesia-Singapore-Malaysia growth triangle.

“These will be greatly enhanced by a new bridge. Whether it will be scenic one or a plain one doesn’t matter. We need a bridge that does the job of alleviating the problem of congestion not just within JB but also from Singapore to JB,” said Mukhriz.

Revive second JB-Singapore bridge project, says Mukhriz
The Edge Daily, Malaysia

JOHOR: Hope to revive bridge project

JOHOR BARU - LOCAL residents and politicians in Johor Baru are hoping that the government will revive a bridge project to replace the Johor Causeway.

This is despite the fact that the new RM1.3 billion (S$538 million) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex became fully operational from yesterday.

That bridge project, mooted by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, was scrapped by Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in 2006.

Johor Umno's state assemblyman Abdul Halim Suleiman said most people in the state still wanted a new bridge to be built across the Johor Strait to replace the Causeway, which was built in 1923. The traffic congestion in the city could be addressed only by building a new bridge across the strait, said those pushing for the project.

Datuk Abdul Halim believed that a new bridge would attract more foreign investors and tourists to Iskandar Malaysia, the southern Johor economic zone.

A JB resident, Mr Mohd Salleh Ali, 39, who works for a private company, said: 'Now that the Sultan Iskandar building is operational, we hope the government will revive the bridge project to overcome traffic problems in the city centre.'

Johor's Umno Youth leader Khalid Mohamad said the Sultan Iskandar building, which houses the new CIQ complex, would not be able to function at its optimum without a new bridge.

BERNAMA