More Bridges Needed to Facilitate Border Traffic Flow

At least three to four more bridges are needed to facilitate border traffic flow, says Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. He said the traffic flow between Singapore and Malaysia is much heavier compared to Penang.

"Even Penang, which has less population than Singapore, at first rejected the first bridge, but then subsequently, we built another bridge and now we want a tunnel and that's just Penang and the mainland."

Mahathir said there are only one causeway and a bridge linking Singapore and Malaysia. "We need at least three to four more bridges." The Malaysian PM said he 'does not understand' why Singapore does not want more bridges. Initially, he had suggested the idea of a crooked bridge - a six-lane highway that would curve in a way that would allow vessels to pass under it between Singapore and Johor.

In 2003, Mahathir had announced that Malaysia would go ahead and build its own half of the crooked bridge if Singapore refused to demolish its half of the Causeway. The idea was dropped by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his successor.