Govt agrees to build Labuan bridge
Published on: Thursday, November 19, 2020
By: Bernama
Credit: Astroawani.
Kuala Lumpur: The Government has agreed to build a bridge connecting Labuan to mainland Sabah through the Private Finance Initiative (PFI), said Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa (pic).He said his Ministry and Works Ministry were in the process of finalising the terms of reference for the “Request for Proposal” (RFP) process to build the bridge.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The proposed bridge construction project will be implemented through public-private sector collaboration and via privatisation or PFI.
“This cooperation can ensure smooth and transparent implementation of the project through competitive bidding,” he said in response to Datuk Rozman Isli (Warisan-Labuan) who asked whether financing for the bridge construction would be borne by the Government or PFI, in the Dewan Rakyat, Wednesday.
Annuar said the public-private partnership project could help develop the economy through private investment and reduce the Government’s burden, as well as give the best value to the Government.
Annuar said the Ministry expected the terms for RFP for the construction of the bridge to be submitted by interested companies before the end of this year.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Then it will take about six to eight months to complete the RFP documents in detail to enable bidding,
“By September next year, the bidders will be evaluated and it is expected that in October, we will be able to finalise which method will be used and which company chosen to build the bridge,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
During a visit to Labuan in early September, Annuar had said he will present a working paper on the proposed Labuan bridge to the Cabinet for approval.
He said the proposed bridge would give a tremendous boost to the development of Labuan as Malaysia’s international business and financial centre.
“We are looking at the importance of the bridge, which is a game-changer (for Labuan’s economic development). We must also look at the affected land for reclamation for a more sustainable infrastructure development,” he told reporters at the end of his two-day working visit to the island.
He said efforts to realise the long-standing proposal on the bridge must start now, with a briefing to the Cabinet soon.
Earlier reports said the proposed bridge will span 13km, from Tanjung Aru here to mainland Sabah, either at Mempakul or Membakut.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
