12 mega projects in IDR to kick off this year
The Edge Daily - 07 Mar 2008
At least 12 mega projects totalling billions of ringgit are expected to kick off this year in the Iskandar Development Region (IDR), said Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman. He said the projects included the RM4.2 billion project funded by West Asian investors in Node 1, about 30km from Johor Bahru after the Second Link Crossing. In a statement yesterday, Ghani also announced that construction had started on the RM1.1 billion coastal highway, one of the biggest infrastructure projects within the IDR. He 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. Ghani said the 15km six-lane highway, which will have seven interchanges and three bridges, would serve as a lifeline for the IDR as it would 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 Bahru to the new city in Nusajaya and the Second Link when ready by 2010,” he said. Ghani co-chairs the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) with the Prime Minister. The Coastal Highway project is spearheaded by South Johor Investment Corporation (SJIC), a Khazanah Nasional-linked company. The other shareholders of SJIC are the Employees Provident Fund and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor, which is wholly owned by the Johor State Government. To date, SJIC has already appointed several Malaysian consultants, including Johor Bahru-based companies, for the design, coordination and supervision of construction.