In his winding-up speech, Lim said it had been an uphill battle for the Penang Government to get approvals for a third bridge, hence the necessity go down under.
“We are left with no choice but to build an undersea tunnel because permission is required from the Federal Government to build a bridge between the island and the mainland.
“I would like to challenge, or perhaps put a question (to the Federal Government). If the Federal Government can approve a bridge to replace the undersea tunnel, then the Penang Government is ready (to drop the idea of an undersea tunnel).
“But with a condition that the third bridge is free of toll. Is the Federal Government willing?” he questioned.
State Opposition leader Jahara Hamid (BN-Telok Ayer Tawar) however interjected Lim’s speech and said: “Have you ever asked for this (a third bridge) before?”
She added, “For your information, before this, there were plans to build a bridge at the North Channel, but there were concerns that it would disrupt port operations in Butterworth and other concerns as well.”
Lim responded to Jahara by saying the previous Barisan Nasional government’s promises had “remained promises.”
During a lunch interval, Jahara told reporters that what Lim had raised was a “red herring.”
“What was suggested is presumptuous. They have come so far (with the undersea tunnel project). It is just a red herring,” she said.
The cost of the Gurney Drive-Bagan Ajam undersea tunnel along with three paired roads totalling RM6.3 billion has been a subject of scrutiny by Lim’s adversaries of late.
Lim’s government however responded that the project’s price was well within international professional limits.