We can build a toll-free bridge: Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang government is confident that they will be able to build and maintain a toll-free bridge to link the island and the mainland.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng (pix) said maintenance costs could be managed if the capital expenditure (capex) was done properly.
He said the reason maintenance costs goes up was due to capex not being thought out carefully and not building according to specifications.
Lim also played down fears the bridge, touted as the third link, will increase traffic congestion as users will not have to pay toll.
"There is the first bridge (Penang Bridge) and the second bridge (Sultan Abdul Halim Mu'adzaam Shah Bridge) as alternatives.
"We want to prove that it (toll-free bridge) is not that expensive if done properly," he added in a press conference today after disbursing aid to taxi drivers in Penang.
A total of RM718,800 was allocated to 2,396 taxi drivers with each getting RM300 while the state has spent RM4.662 million since the aid programme was started in 2013.
The third bridge was mooted after a proposed undersea tunnel between Gurney Drive and Bagan Ajam attracted fears of environmental damage.
In a separate development, Penang Malay Taxi Drivers Association president Mohamed Yusoff S. Ibrahim urged both the state and federal governments to ban ride-hailing apps like Uber and Grabcar.
He described the services as "unlicensed taxis" and lamented reports that federal authorities were considering regulating such services.
"The public transport industry should be protected and preserved to ensure the development is in line with the changing times," he told reporters after the function.