BANGKOK, Aug 28 — The initial design of the road alignment connecting Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex and the Sadao Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex is expected to be completed in November this year.

Senior Public Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said Malaysia through the Public Works Department (JKR) is carrying out preliminary work on the site which includes survey work, site investigation work and traffic study.

"The next Malaysia-Thailand Expert Working Group meeting is expected to be held in December for design verification at the border point of the two countries,” he told Bernama.

The road alignment linking the Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS and Sadao CIQ complex in Songkhla are among the infrastructure projects at the Malaysia-Thailand border that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and his counterpart in Thailand, Prayuth Chan o-Cha in February have agreed to speed up negotiations for the implementation of this connectivity projects.

The development of infrastructure at the Malaysia-Thailand border area is seen to boost trade where almost 50 per cent of Malaysia-Thailand bilateral trade is concentrated.

Malaysia and Thailand hope to achieve US$30 billion (RM132 billion) bilateral trade target by 2025.

For the Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok Bridge which was approved in Rolling Plan 1, the Twelfth Malaysia Plan, Fadillah said the Value Management (VA) for this project was carried out from July 18 to 22 in Kota Bharu, Kelantan.

"Malaysia-Thailand Joint Technical Meeting for this project was held online twice on Dec 13 last year and May 26 this year to discuss the bridge design readied by Malaysia.

"After two meetings, the Thai side informed that they agree with the bridge design concept prepared by Malaysia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fadillah said the proposal for the construction of the Pengkalan Kubor-Tak Bai Bridge would be submitted to the cabinet to get directions considering that the Thai side had submitted the design for the project to Malaysia in 2016.

"This project requires further discussions with central agencies, ministries and related agencies such as the Home Ministry and the National Security Council as well as the Kelantan State Government,” he said. — Bernama