ISKANDAR PUTERI - Malaysia's Home Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said on Monday (Nov 25) there was a need to build a third link to ease traffic congestion between Johor and Singapore.

He told the Johor state assembly that he had already informed the federal government about the link, which could take the form of a bridge or a tunnel, reported national news agency Bernama.

"If the state government supports, I will ensure this initiative will be started," Tan Sri Muhyiddin said during a debate at the Johor state assembly sitting in Iskandar Puteri.

"Before we used to have only one bridge, then we had two bridges and now these two can no longer cope," he said, referring to the heavy traffic at the Causeway and the Second Link.

Mr Muhyiddin is also chairman of the Special Committee on Congestion at the Johor Causeway.

Johor Public Works, Transport and Infrastructure Committee chairman Mohd Solihan Badri told reporters outside the state assembly hall that Mr Muhyiddin's third bridge proposal was an appropriate step.

He said the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar that was built in 2003 will reach its full capacity next year.

Malaysia and Singapore are proceeding with plans to build a cross-border Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, a 4km-rail link that will connect Woodlands North station on Singapore's Thomson-East Coast MRT line to Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru.

While this rail link will help alleviate some of the passenger traffic between Johor and Singapore, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad had previously reiterated that there is still a need for a third bridge linking Singapore and Malaysia to accommodate vehicles.