JOHOR BARU: The federal government has allocated RM50 million to finance the construction of a pedestrian skybridge linking the Coronation Square to the Johor Baru Sentral station here.
The Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) station will be located at JB Sentral, upon its completion by December next year.
The skybridge project, which was officially launched today by Deputy Finance Minister Steven Sim, aims to alleviate traffic congestion, boost economic growth, as well as enhance overall the people's socio-economic condition.
Sim said the federal government via its public-private partnership with Coronade Properties and facilitation fund programme initiative, supported catalytic projects that spur national economic growth and narrow the development gap between regions.
The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, had earlier urged the federal government to prioritise strategic projects in the state and to address the capital city's road infrastructure challenges.
The ruler was reported as saying that despite the state being the gateway to the Asian peninsular, it was still plagued by badly-maintained roads and poor infrastructure.
Sim said the RM5 billion Coronation Square project was an integral part of the Ibrahim International Business District (IIBD), which was launched by Sultan Ibrahim in 2015.
The IIBD project is a mixed development and is expected to become a landmark in the state.
"Johor is among the country's economy forefront, therefore, through the Madani budget, the unity government has increased its allocation from year to year, with RM897.62 million in 2022 and an estimated RM914.03 million this year, with an addition of RM4.53 billion for development projects.
"In 2022, Johor ranked at the top among five states with the highest foreign direct investments, followed by Selangor (RM60.1 billion), Sarawak (RM28.2 billion), Kuala Lumpur (RM25 billion) and Penang (RM16.3 billion)," he said in his speech at the skybridge launch.
Once completed, the 280m elevated skybridge will be a four-minute walk from the Coronation Square to JB Sentral, easing pedestrians' access to the Customs Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex checkpoint.
It will also improve overall connectivity and accessibility to JB Sentral from Coronation Square.
The skybridge will house escalators and lifts.
Scheduled for full completion by 2028, IIBD features a mall and six towers comprising two blocks of serviced apartments, two office blocks, a hotel and medical suites.