Govt to study revival of Johor bridge project

By Shahrum Sayuthi and Ben Tan, New Straits Times

PASIR GUDANG: The government will conduct a study on the possibility of reviving the aborted bridge project to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said several factors, including cooperation of the Singapore government needed to be taken into account if the project were to take place.

“We have to also conduct a thorough study as this project will have a lot of implications, such as from the legal and cost perspectives as well as other obligations, including relations between the Federal and Singapore government.”

Najib was asked on the matter after opening the Asiaflex Products’ facilities at Tanjung Langsat near here yesterday.

He was accompanied at the function by Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

The idea of reviving the project was floated by Sultan Ibrahim of Johor in his speech, delivered in conjunction with his birthday, on Nov 22.

The sultan had made a similar call while embarking on his royal tour of the state, “Kembara Mahkota Johor”, earlier this year.

The demand for the project to be revived was first made by the Johor palace when Sultan Ibrahim’s father, the late Sultan Iskandar of Johor, spoke at the opening of the Johor State Assembly in November 2006.

In January that year, the Federal Government, under the administration of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced that it was going ahead to building the bridge on the Malaysian side of the Causeway.

Construction work on the bridge began officially in March 2006.

It was however halted the following month and then scrapped by Dr Mahathir’s successor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.