JOHOR BAHARU March 6 - Works on the RM1.1 billion Coastal Highway, one of the biggest infrastructure projects within the Iskandar Development Region (IDR) has started, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said here today.
He said that site clearing had already began and was due for completion by this month, followed by piling works and the construction proper thereafter.
The 15km six-lane highway which will have seven interchanges and three bridges, will serve as a lifeline for the IDR as it will provide a vital road link between the east and west of South Johor.
"This highway will be the main infrastructure to open up the IDR by connecting the old Johor Baharu to the new city in Nusajaya and the Second Link when ready by 2010," Ghani said in a statement here today.
He said that concerted efforts would be made to ensure the IDR, which is the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is completed on time.
"This fast track development will have far reaching economic and social implications on South Johor. This is why the Prime Minister himself is taking a keen interest in the project," he said.
Ghani, who co-chairs the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), regulatory body for the IDR, with the Prime Minister said the project was a priority and the progress of works would be closely monitored to avoid delays.
The Coastal Highway project is being spearheaded by South Johor Investment Corporation (SJIC), a Khazanah Nasional-linked company, which is the IDR master developer and investor in strategic projects.
The other shareholders of SJIC are the Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ), which is wholly-owned by the Johor State Government.
To date, SJIC has already appointed several Malaysian consultants, including Johor Baharu-based companies, for the design, coordination and supervision of construction.
The new highway which will eventually connect to the North-South Highway via the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) will provide the much-needed East-West linkage to the two ports and airport in South Johor.
It will also serve a huge population stretching all the way from Pasir Gudang to the city centre here, Nusajaya, the new Johor State New Administrative Centre (JSNAC) and the Second Link.
JSNAC, which is the nexus of the IDR, is already 90 per cent completed and is projected to be ready for occupation by June this year.
The Coastal Highway will also be a boon for visitors from Singapore using the soon-to-be opened Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex here, as it will provide a convenient and direct access to new IDR attractions in Danga Bay, Nusajaya, JSNAC and the proposed new theme park.
At least 12 mega projects totaling billions of ringgit are expected to kick off this year under the IDR, which includes the RM4.2 billion project funded by West Asian investors in Node 1, about 30km from Johor Baharu after the Second Link Crossing.
Ghani said the opening of the new coastal highway would also spell an end to squatter woes by 2013 through a RM583 million relocation programme that will house around 8,000 squatters presently living within the IDR.
He said that site clearing had already began and was due for completion by this month, followed by piling works and the construction proper thereafter.
The 15km six-lane highway which will have seven interchanges and three bridges, will serve as a lifeline for the IDR as it will provide a vital road link between the east and west of South Johor.
"This highway will be the main infrastructure to open up the IDR by connecting the old Johor Baharu to the new city in Nusajaya and the Second Link when ready by 2010," Ghani said in a statement here today.
He said that concerted efforts would be made to ensure the IDR, which is the brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is completed on time.
"This fast track development will have far reaching economic and social implications on South Johor. This is why the Prime Minister himself is taking a keen interest in the project," he said.
Ghani, who co-chairs the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), regulatory body for the IDR, with the Prime Minister said the project was a priority and the progress of works would be closely monitored to avoid delays.
The Coastal Highway project is being spearheaded by South Johor Investment Corporation (SJIC), a Khazanah Nasional-linked company, which is the IDR master developer and investor in strategic projects.
The other shareholders of SJIC are the Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ), which is wholly-owned by the Johor State Government.
To date, SJIC has already appointed several Malaysian consultants, including Johor Baharu-based companies, for the design, coordination and supervision of construction.
The new highway which will eventually connect to the North-South Highway via the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) will provide the much-needed East-West linkage to the two ports and airport in South Johor.
It will also serve a huge population stretching all the way from Pasir Gudang to the city centre here, Nusajaya, the new Johor State New Administrative Centre (JSNAC) and the Second Link.
JSNAC, which is the nexus of the IDR, is already 90 per cent completed and is projected to be ready for occupation by June this year.
The Coastal Highway will also be a boon for visitors from Singapore using the soon-to-be opened Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex here, as it will provide a convenient and direct access to new IDR attractions in Danga Bay, Nusajaya, JSNAC and the proposed new theme park.
At least 12 mega projects totaling billions of ringgit are expected to kick off this year under the IDR, which includes the RM4.2 billion project funded by West Asian investors in Node 1, about 30km from Johor Baharu after the Second Link Crossing.
Ghani said the opening of the new coastal highway would also spell an end to squatter woes by 2013 through a RM583 million relocation programme that will house around 8,000 squatters presently living within the IDR.
Bernama - 7 March 2008
