JOHOR BARU: The menteri besar boarded a public bus today from here to Senai to experience first-hand passengers' journey while inspecting the state's developments.
Overall, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi was satisfied but admitted there were room for more improvement.
He took the opportunity to get a feel of the road conditions while inspecting the state's initiatives and infrastructure.
One of the projects he inspected was the Johor Baru Inner Ring Road upgrade, which will see the inner road divert to the Stulang Darat junction directly towards the Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) Expressway.
The upgrade, which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion during peak hours, is expected to be completed by October.
Onn Hafiz said there were also long-term plans to construct a flyover directly to the expressway, if deemed necessary.
Meanwhile, at the road upgrading project at Taman Impian Emas leading to the Skudai Highway, he said the road has been levelled while finishing touches, such as painting the bridge structure, are underway and likely to meet the October deadline.
"As for the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS), it is progressing well and is expected to meet its 2026 completion deadline," the mentri besar said, adding he had instructed the developers to ensure that Jalan Stulang Laut is not compromised due to heavy vehicles plying the route daily.
While upgrading works are necessary, he said roads condition should also be taken into consideration so that road users do not face unnecessary problems.
"Proper planning and road diversions are required to ensure smooth traffic flow," he added.
The menteri besar's entourage included Johor Baru mayor Datuk Noorazam Osman, Iskandar Puteri mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad, Johor Public Works Department director Abu Bakar Abd Aziz, state Housing and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor, state Works, Transport, and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Salleh, Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong and Stulang state assemblyman Andrew Chen Kah Eng.