PARLIAMENT | Putrajaya is mulling alternatives to abolishing tolls, including off-peak discounts and avoiding rate hikes for the next few years.

"We are finding alternatives, such as lowering tolls and maybe there will be a set rate.

"We may also give an off-peak discount of 25 percent or some other percentage, and maybe we will not raise toll prices for two to three years," Works Minister Baru Bian told the Dewan Rakyat today.

Baru said these matters were still being discussed, and reiterated that the government will not abolish tolls until the country's finances were stable.

He was responding to Muslimin Yahya (Harapan-Sungai Besar) during question time, who asked about the efforts the government was taking to ensure there would be no new tolls.

Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PAS-Pasir Mas) then asked Baru whether the rakyat "can stop dreaming" of highways without tolls.

The minister, however, did not appear to catch the question, responding: "Whether the people are dreaming or not, that is up to them."

Earlier, Baru told the Dewan that the upcoming West Coast Expressway will have 20 toll booths, six of which are on the main route, while 14 others are at interchanges.

The concession for the tolls is for 50 years, as per the agreement signed on Jan 2, 2013.

The expressway is 60 percent complete and will be opened in stages starting next year. Full completion is expected in 2022.

'Crooked bridge' to be studied

Meanwhile, when met in the Parliament lobby, Baru told reporters that it was too early to say whether the proposed 'crooked bridge' project to partially replace the Johor Causeway would be approved.

"I think that each project must have a feasibility study, and later we will proceed based on that study. At the moment, I believe the government is just waiting to decide on it," he said.

Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian revealed on Tuesday that the 'crooked bridge' project was back on the table after Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad asked if Johor still needed it.

The 'crooked bridge', one of Mahathir's pet-projects, was greenlit in 2003 but was later scrapped by his successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Additional reporting by ANNE MUHAMMAD

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