Malaysia–Singapore Third Crossing Explained

Bridge Name:Malaysia–Singapore Third Crossing
Official Name:Malaysia–Singapore Third Crossing
Native Name:Laluan Ketiga Malaysia–Singapura
第三通道
Carries:Motor vehicles
Crosses:Straits of Johor

The Malaysia–Singapore Third Crossing (Malay: '''Laluan Ketiga Malaysia–Singapura''', Chinese: 第三通道), is a proposed bridge connecting either Punggol, Pasir Ris or Changi in Singapore and Pasir Gudang[1] in Johor, Malaysia according to the master plan by Iskandar Malaysia. Pasir Gudang will be the third city in the Greater Johor Bahru[2] region after Johor Bahru and Iskandar Puteri to have a direct link with Singapore.

History

In 2009, the 6th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak broached the idea of having a third bridge connecting Malaysia and Singapore on the eastern sides of the respective nations due to the high volumes of traffic at the existing bridges.[3] This came after an earlier cancellation to the plans to build a crooked bridge to replace Malaysia's end of the Johor–Singapore Causeway.[4] The third link was proposed to connect Changi in Singapore and Pengerang in Johor, Malaysia. Both Malaysia and Singapore agreed to study the proposal for its potential viability. However, no further plans for the third link materialised with Najib facing strong opposition from various prominent Malaysians, including the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir Mohamad and the Sultan of Johor, Ibrahim Ismail.[5] [6] [7] [8]

The idea of a third link was floated repeatedly since then, with a proposal in 2011 featuring an undersea tunnel instead of a bridge.[9] Since 2016, it was stated that Singapore has no plans for a third bridge, favouring the plans for Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high-speed rail.[10] [11] In 2018, the topic of having a third link was raised once more, aiming to resolve the traffic conditions at the current linkages.[12] [13] [14]

References

  1. Web site: Transportation Blueprint 2010-2030 for Iskandar Malaysia.
  2. Web site: Johor govt hopes to merge three city councils to create Greater JB plan The Star Online. www.thestar.com.my. 2022-01-09.
  3. Web site: M'sia proposes third bridge link to S'pore (Updated) The Nut Graph. www.thenutgraph.com. 2020-03-02.
  4. Web site: The crooked bridge and 3 other Malaysia-Singapore projects that both countries gaduh over. Noor. Sabrina. 2018-12-17. CILISOS - Current Issues Tambah Pedas!. en-US. 2020-03-02.
  5. Book: Ooi, Kee Beng. Between UMNO and a Hard Place: The Najib Razak Era Begins. 2010. Institute of Southeast Asian. 978-981-4311-28-1. 58. en.
  6. Book: Chye, Kee Thuan. No More Bullshit, please. We're All Malaysians.. 2012-08-15. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. 978-981-4382-76-2. 58. en.
  7. Web site: Sultan torches Najib's '3rd bridge'. 2009-06-18. Malaysiakini. subscription. 2020-03-02.
  8. Web site: A bridge too far from JB. Chi. Wong Teck. 2009-06-20. Malaysiakini. subscription. 2020-03-02.
  9. Web site: Study being done on undersea tunnel to link JB and Singapore The Star Online. www.thestar.com.my. 2020-03-02.
  10. Web site: No plans for 3rd bridge, says PM Lee. 2017-04-03. The Malaysian Reserve. en-US. 2020-03-02.
  11. Web site: Singapore says no plans for third bridge. Bernama. 2016-11-30. NST Online. en. 2020-03-02.
  12. Web site: Johor to discuss third bridge to S'pore with Putrajaya. Bernama. 2019-03-30. Malaysiakini. 2020-03-02.
  13. Web site: M'sia-S'pore third bridge proposal to be discussed next month. Bernama. 2018-10-31. Malaysiakini. 2020-03-02.
  14. Web site: M'sian minister says third JB-Singapore bridge to be decided only after congestion research. TODAYonline. 2020-03-02.