JOHOR BARU: The Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) said today the Sungai Segget rejuvenation project in the city centre would be fully completed and opened to the public by the middle of next year.
Its chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim said the project, which involves rehabilitation and beautification of the river, is 85 per cent completed.
Ismail said the progress of the project was hampered by utility cables and wires that were found at the project site, which spans a 1.4km stretch of the river which had previously been covered.
"The utility cables and wires were found when the contractor dredged the river.
"We removed and relocate these cables and wires before we can proceed with the project. This takes some time," said Ismail, after opening the Geoinformatics and Geomatics Festival 2016 at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) here today.
The 1.3km-long and 25m-wide Sungai Segget, which flows along Jalan Wong Ah Fook in downtown Johor Baru, is part of Johor Baru City Transformation Plan. It also has a reputation as one of the dirtiest rivers in the country.
On another matter, Ismail urged the Federal government to give attention to public transportation needs in Iskandar Malaysia in the 2017 Budget.
"Our hope is for the government to set aside allocations for the development of public transportation in Iskandar Malaysia. A good public transportation system will help improve Iskandar Malaysia's competitiveness as an investment destination," said Ismail, adding that issues such as affordable housing, public safety and water supply should also be given the necessary attention in the federal budget to be tabled this month.