'Twin towers' plan for JB

2010/09/28 By Chuah Bee Kim
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_584044.html

JOHOR BARU: A high-rise building similar to the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur is being planned for the city.

Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the proposed building was "something like the Petronas Twin Towers but not quite like it" and was likely to be located near the Johor Baru Central Complex.

"This towering high-rise, which is likely to be the new landmark of Johor Baru, will offer a view of not only this city but also Singapore," he said after opening HSBC Amanah's new branch in Nusa Bestari yesterday.

The proposed site for the project is where the Bukit Cagar and Lumba Kuda flats used to stand before they were demolished to make way for the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building.

Ghani said the project would be part of the transformation plan for downtown Johor Baru under the 10th Malaysia Plan.

The menteri besar also confirmed that a feasibility study was being carried out for the construction of an underground tunnel from Tanjong Puteri here to Woodlands in Singapore to accommodate a rapid transit system (RTS).

Discussions between Malaysia and Singapore on the project was announced by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha last week.

The project was a part of the agreement reached between Malay-sia and Singapore on the land swap deal involving Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd's (KTMB) land in the republic.

The tunnel is expected to be completed before 2018 when KTMB's facilities in Woodlands will be relocated to a transport hub in Kempas here.

Ghani said an RTS station was likely to be built near the tunnel's entrance on the Malaysian side to accommodate customs and immigration facilities.

He added that the state government was adopting a two-year "rolling plan" in setting the budget for the high-rise building and underground tunnel projects.

The state government is also expecting to receive the green light for the implementation of two other major projects in the state, also under the 10th Malaysia Plan. They are the upgrading of the Pasir Gudang highway and the transformation of Sungai Segget.

Meanwhile, the menteri besar said the cumulative investment received for Iskandar Malaysia stood at RM63.09 billion as of July -- an increase of RM7.53 billion from December last year.