Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has urged Works Minister Fadillah Yusof to drop the polemics over his request for a third bridge to replace the undersea tunnel which links Gurney Drive to Bagan Ajam in the mainland.

The DAP secretary-general urged Fadillah to meet him face-to-face instead of discussing the matter in the press.

An approval from the federal government will enable Penang to cancel the plan to build the undersea tunnel, which has received much flak from several quarters due to its high cost and possible environmental impact.

Lim had blamed the federal government for not approving the third bridge, which forced Penang to opt for the undersea tunnel to address the island’s connectivity with the mainland, and the state’s traffic congestion.

“We don’t need the polemics in the newspapers about the third bridge; I hope we can meet to discuss this instead,” Lim said at a press conference in Komtar today.

He was responding to Fadillah’s remark on Saturday that the Works Ministry was committed to conducting a fair evaluation of the proposal for the bridge.

Fadillah had urged the Penang government to cooperate and share with the Works Ministry the relevant documentation so that he could make an informed decision.

Lim said he had sent a letter on the third bridge to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, but learnt that Fadillah was not happy about it.

“If he wants me to send him a letter, I can do it, no problem. It is better if I send the letter to him by hand, so that we can meet face-to-face to discuss and resolve the matter,” Lim said.

Lim said he respected Fadillah as a minister and lawyer who hailed from Sarawak, adding that he understood that he was out to do his job.

“So do not politicise the matter, let us meet professionally to discuss the issue,” said Lim.

Lim said the letter was sent to obtain an approval in principle from Najib so that the state could start planning for the bridge.

Lim said he had yet to receive a response from Najib’s office, and would contact his office for an appointment.

“If the federal government is sincere, give us an approval in principle, so that history can be made by building a toll-free bridge,” Lim said.

“We can do it as the cost for building the bridge is lower than the cost of building the undersea tunnel.

“If we do not steal people’s money, we can build a toll-free bridge,” he quipped.

The undersea tunnel, which is slated for completion by 2027, and three highways across the island are Lim’s answer to the increasing traffic woes faced by Penangites.

However, much of it remains to be done, pending the feasibility study, detailed design and detailed environment impact assessment report.