Singapore is currently linked to Johor through a very busy Causeway to the north and a bridge from the western part of the island state.

Asked about a plan to build a third link, Mahathir told reporters in Kuala Lumpur: “There is some plan in the offing … there is already some plan.” He did not provide any further details.

Mahathir’s comment comes after he took aim at a series of infrastructure projects with China and with Singapore that had been pushed by his predecessor, Najib Razak, whom he drove from office in a surprise election victory in May.

Mahathir has suspended plans for a high-speed rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.

However, Bernama reported that Singapore had yet to receive any official proposal from Malaysia on the third bridge proposal linking both countries from the eastern side of Johor.

“We have not received any official proposal or communication from Malaysia regarding a third link between Singapore and Malaysia,” a spokesperson from Singapore’s transport ministry said in a statement today.

The Star newspaper quoted Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian as saying the state government was in talks with a company about the third link project, which could be built in the next three to four years.

Osman said the proposal would first be sent to the federal government for due diligence. The plan is to link Pengerang, Johor, and Pulau Ubin in Singapore via a 3km bridge and an undersea tunnel.