ST : KL may look into reviving Causeway bridge project

Nov 25, 2010

KL may look into reviving Causeway bridge project

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Razak said yesterday the government may study the possibility of reviving a project to replace the Malaysian side of the Causeway with a bridge.

Asked about the call by the Johor Sultan that a bridge be built to replace the Causeway, Datuk Seri Najib said that a study would have to be carried out first. The government had to consider the legal and financial implications and also the position of the Singapore Government, he added.

Johor Sultan Ibrahim Ismail raised the suggestion during a ceremony to mark his 52nd birthday on Monday.

He said having a new bridge would make it convenient for people travelling to Singapore and back, and would encourage tourism. The Sultan made similar remarks in June for the revival of the bridge project that was cancelled four years ago.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had proposed building a bridge to replace the Causeway when he was prime minister. The plan was later changed to an S-shaped or 'crooked' bridge on Malaysia's side of the Causeway. When Mr Najib's predecessor Abdullah Badawi became the premier, he cancelled the project in April 2006.

Johor politicians have voiced support for the Sultan's call. Johor Baru Malaysian Chinese Association Youth chief Kua Song Tuck touted the ecological benefits, saying it would be 'a win-win for both Johoreans and Singaporeans'. A new bridge would solve the traffic jams at the Causeway, he said.

Johor Malaysian Indian Congress secretary M. Asojan said the Sultan had done his own research on the positive aspects of building the bridge. He added the federal government would give the matter serious consideration. Johor Parti Keadilan Rakyat chairman Chua Jui Meng said the call was timely. 'However, it must be done without burdening the country in terms of debt,' he said.

BERNAMA, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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The S-shaped bridge project had been cancelled by then Premier Abdullah Badawi in 2006. -- PHOTO: BH MALAYSIA