Nice to meet you: Onn Hafiz shaking hands with a supporter during the meet-and-greet event in Pekan Nenas yesterday.
PONTIAN: An allocation of RM56mil has been approved by the Federal Government for the construction of an alternative road between Pekan Nenas and Ulu Choh.
This would ease congestion for those travelling between Pontian and Johor Baru, said Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
“Land acquisition for the project is currently taking place and we expect construction of the new road to begin early next year.
“On top of that, the bridge connecting Gelang Patah and Pontian will also be open to the public in January next year.
“With the completion of this bridge, it will take only 15 minutes to travel between Pontian and Gelang Patah,” he said in his speech during a meet-and-greet session with the Chinese and Indian community of Pekan Nenas here.
At present, it takes about an hour to drive from Pontian to Gelang Patah.
The 7.5km bridge connecting Tanjung Pelepas Port in Gelang Patah to Tanjung Bin here has been a long-awaited project.
Onn Hafiz said the state government would need strong support from the Federal Government in carrying out future development projects.
“If we were to upgrade the road in Pontian from two lanes to four lanes, we will need an allocation of RM250mil. We will need assistance from the Federal Government.
“As such, it is important for the federal and state governments to be in line with each other,” he added.
Onn Hafiz added that the state government had allocated some RM600,000 for the development of six Chinese villages in Pekan Nenas.
During the event, he delivered Deepavali goodies from Yayasan Sultan Ibrahim Johor to some 100 recipients.
Also present was Deputy Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng, who is incumbent Tanjung Piai MP.
Wee said that the completion of the bridge, coupled with the alternative road between Ulu Choh and Pekan Nenas, would help reduce congestion in the area.
“We hope that the new roads would boost the local economy and increase job opportunities for the people,” he said.
