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Sunday, November 20, 2011

JB-Singapore tunnel on the cards, says Iskandar


November 20, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 20 — An undersea tunnel has been mooted as a third link between Malaysia and Singapore, according to the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA).

The Star reported today a feasibility study is being conducted on constructing a 1km undersea link, which is slightly shorter than the Causeway.

“By going underwater, there is no need to tear down existing structures above the sea and there will be less disruption to movement between Johor Baru and Singapore,” IRDA chief executive Ismail Ibrahim was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (picture) has pushed hard for a “crooked bridge” to replace the Causeway since he was in power in the 1990s and in February pressured Johor Umno to revive the idea.

But the plan to tear down the Malaysian half of the Causeway and replace it with a curving bridge high enough for shipping traffic to pass under was subsequently ditched by his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Dr Mahathir, who still wields a huge influence on Umno despite stepping down in 2003, made his ire towards Abdullah very public and has continued to harangue Najib over the construction of the bridge.

But Najib, who is keen to repair bilateral ties with the island republic, has been reluctant to discuss the proposal which was received frostily by Singapore’s government when first mooted.

The prime minister had instead preferred to discuss other potential solutions such as a third bridge with Malaysia’s southern neighbour. He has also successfully resolved the long-standing issue of the Malayan Railway land in Singapore last year.

The Star also cited Ismail as saying that a detailed engineering study on the tunnel would be conducted by consultants appointed by both governments.

He said both Malaysia and Singapore had yet to determine the cost of the tunnel, which would not be parallel to the Causeway.

The Causeway, which is about 1.056km long, was completed in 1923 and links Johor Bahru to Woodlands on the other side of the Straits of Johor. Between 80,000 and 100,000 vehicles use it daily.

Johor and the republic are also connected via the Second Link, a dual three-lane carriageway linking Tanjung Kupang to Tuas in Singapore. The bridge is about 1.9km long.

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