Malaysia launches work on new city

Malaysia launches work on new city

JOHORE BAHRU, Malaysia (AFP): Malaysia launched work yesterday on an ambitious six billion ringgit (US$2.4 billion) project to build a commercial city over the sea.

The so-called Johore Bahru Waterfront City will sit on 118 acres (47.2 hectares) of land mass created by driving concrete piles into the seabed instead of conventional reclamation, officials said.

The city, to be developed over 15 to 20 years, is to be created off the southern state of Johore bordering Singapore.

"It will be the world's largest single city development on the sea and we hope to get it on the Guinness Book of World Records if everything ends well," said Hong Lee Pee, executive chairman of listed Malaysian construction giant Pilecon Engineering Bhd.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad touched a button yesterday to electronically drive into the seabed the first of 15,000 huge piles that will pave the way for the project's development.