State seeks to transform JB into a walkable city

JOHOR BARU: Efforts are being made to transform Johor Baru into a walkable city, including the construction of a RM50mil elevated skybridge in the heart of the city.

Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim said the pedestrian skybridge - linking Coronation Square here to Johor Baru Sentral - where the Rapid Transit System (RTS) will be located - was a project under the Federal Government’s public-private partnership (PPP) and facilitation fund in the Prime Minister’s Department.

“The project, in partnership with Coronate Properties, was also to address the traffic congestion and improve the socio-economy of the local people.

“The 280m bridge will give convenience to pedestrians between Coronation Square and JB Sentral, which takes a walking time of four minutes,” he said before launching the City Link Skybridge project on Monday (June 19).

The Coronation Square project is an integral part of the RM5bil Ibrahim International Business District (IIBD), which was launched by Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar in 2015.

He added that Malaysia’s economy has lost out due to the Covid-19 pandemic and projects like this were vital in helping to boost the country’s mission to gain back its momentum.

“We are now on a mission to catch up on what we lost in the pandemic.

“A few years ago, we heard news that Tesla was investing in Indonesia and many among us were worried that foreign investors were going to our neighbours.

“However, in a short time, we have managed to pull in investors such as Tesla, Amazon, Geely and Rongsheng Petrochemical.

“To ensure that all investments can be realised, the government is promoting ease of doing business to encourage more investors into our country,” he added.

Sim also said the government’s commitment could be seen when it increased its development fund for this year to RM97bil from last year’s RM71.6bil.

It is understood that the skybridge walkway project would begin next year and includes escalators, lifts, road enhancements and general improvements.