Penang not ruling out third bridge option, says CM

 

The Penang tunnel and roads project was proposed to ease congestion on the first bridge and reduce traffic at other corridors on the island. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Penang has yet to decide if it will go for a third bridge crossing instead of an undersea tunnel connecting the island and Seberang Perai.

Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state has so far conducted a feasibility study on the construction of an undersea tunnel only.

“The study has been completed and is pending review by federal technical agencies before the state executive council deliberates and makes a final decision.

“Despite having justified the undersea tunnel project that was awarded via open tender in 2012, there is a lot of misinformation by irresponsible quarters.

“However, the state government does not rule out the possibility of building a bridge as a third crossing. We have just not made any decision on this matter,” he said in a statement today.

Recently, The Star reported that the proponents of the project, Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC), were considering a third bridge instead of an undersea tunnel.

According to CZC, the bridge option was “cost-effective” and environmentally-friendly compared with an undersea tunnel, with “the ball now in the state government’s court” for a final decision.

The third bridge idea was first mooted at the state assembly in 2016 by former chief minister Lim Guan Eng, who said the state was willing to build a toll-free bridge at a cost of about RM2 billion if the federal government allowed it.

This was because the undersea tunnel would not require any approvals from Putrajaya, while a crossing over the sea would require federal approval.

Then works minister Fadillah Yusof had suspended talks with Penang over the bridge proposal after the state failed to submit relevant documents, which led to a back-and-forth between him and state leaders.

The RM6.3 billion tunnel and roads project – which would connect George Town to Butterworth – was mooted by the Penang government to ease congestion on the first bridge and reduce traffic at other corridors on the island.

Besides the tunnel, three bypass roads were part of the project – Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (5.7km); Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (10.53km); and Gurney Drive to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (4.1km).

Work on the Air Itam road project has already begun. - FMT