The Department of Environment (DOE) has approved the construction of the three-paired highways across the island.
State exco for Public Infrastructure Zairil Khir Johari said the DOE has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report with 59 additional conditions attached.
In a joint press conference with the delivery partner – Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, Zairil said the contractor has to abide by the terms and conditions and the state will also monitor the progress of construction work.
The conditions involve building additional mitigation measures such as drainage, including a storm tunnel to mitigate the intensity of rainfall.
Zairil said the DOE has instructed Zenith to be mindful of the climate change phenomenon in terms of rainfall and water flow.
Additional remedial measures were also imposed on erosion, hillslope stability, explosions, waste management, and an environmental audit.
The three paired highways are the Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (10.53km) route, the Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway route (5.7km), and from Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (4.075km).
Penang will commence with the second phase (Air Itam to the Expressway) first; by the first quarter of next year, with the total completion for the three roads scheduled within the next six to nine years.
Zairil said the EIA has compelled Zenith to offer an alternative traffic route during the construction period.
He said the state was prepared to engage with any quarters, who continue to have misgivings about the project.
Essentially, the roads would reduce travelling time between Tanjung Bungah to the touristy belt of Batu Ferringhi and to allow people to travel from Gurney Drive to the Bayan Lepas International Airport within 20 minutes.
Source: TheSundaily.my
In fact, the most urgent highway out of the three is the Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang route because there is no other way if the existing narrow Batu Ferringhi coastal road “collapse” (as happened before), a total cut off will be even deadly ! Moreover, Teluk Bahang needs to be developed since people keep crying foul of lacking lands in Penang Island ?
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Agree we need to develop North of the island.. south has gone through massive development
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Agree with Internation. The Tg. Bungah – Teluk Bahang Road is the most URGENT. There is no other alternative road available. Do you know that lifes have been lost in Teluk Bahang and Batu Ferringhi because ambulances couldn’t arrived on time because of the traffic jams along this road.
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Yes…..
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I don’t see the urgency to build the Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway route at all ! Why the govt treats that so important, ulterior motive ?
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@Penanglang
Those stay at air itam see the urgency…likewise same for others…….Important is to start constructing without delay further
.
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We don’t need another frigging bridge. The 2nd link is already underutilized, and basically you can’t advertise Penang Clean and Green when there are more cars flowing in from the mainland. Why not build a bridge for the KTM train instead. Yes urgently need road access from Tg Bungah to Bayan Lepas. The stretch along Green Lane is always clogged with traffic.
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@Tan Wee Lim
Which means the economy is growing. Nobody wants ghost town.
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@Internation
the authority faces strongest resistance from Tanjung Bungah for the north coast pair road compared with the working class Air Itam. they only have themselves to blame if ever there is any loss of life due to congestion..let them enjoy their daily breakfast jam..
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Thank you Penang people for supporting this project. We need the project to go through so that money can be added to our coffers to make sure that the party will be strong and will be able to sustain for the future.
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@Gabriel
i am ok with that as long as they don’t use the money to make some semi porn movies in holy wood that make america great again..
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I was told by a long retired old officer (working for the British govt) before, that Tanjung Bungah coastal paired road was gazetted many decades ago even before the Independence of Malaya.
The British is all along well-known for infrastructures.
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Plans should be made to reduce the toll for the 2nd bridge to encourage more users. At RM8.50 vs RM5.60 most users still opt to jam up the 1st bridge due to the price difference. It won’t make much difference as diverting more users to the 2nd bridge will tremendously reduce the jam. If the toll remains as it is then another 10 yrs down the road it will still be underutilised.
A KTM link to the island would be fantastic. This would make more users esp internal tourists to use more KTM services & reduce the island jams.
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You people won’t drive all the way to Batu Kawan to use the bridge. For those from SPS to go first bridge they need to go pass Juru toll also RM2 so 5.6+2=7.6. So actually the pricing is ok
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@Car
Yes, you are right. Price is not the main factor of the 2nd bridge under utilize. It is the location of the bridge! All the office hours staff that flooding the 1st bridge is living at SPT and the 2nd bridge build in SPS. If i stay in butterworth/seberang jaya, what the hack i want to use 2nd bridge? i will end up jam at juru toll area + connect back to 1st bridge exit(also jam together with 1st bridge user)… such a joke.
Only those that are from Ipoh/Taiping can benefits from the 2nd bridge as they can avoid the super jam at 1st bridge on Friday while back hometown.
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Penang people have some of the best calculators in their brains.
Try lowering it to be the same price as 1st bridge for a few months and you can see a major increase easily. For residents of SPU & SPT they should continue using the 1st bridge but those from BM,Simpang Empat,Batu Kawan downwards till SPS will surely use the 2nd bridge esp those who are based at the FIZ areas towards the south of the island. Easily 20 to 30 thousand cars pack these areas on a daily basis. This will balance out the lopsided effect that’s happening to the 1st bridge.
Now it’s 90% to 10%.
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Ya but the population SPT is higher compare to SPS.
If you prediction is true, then we should see 20 to 30k car using 2nd bridge toward mainland by now on a daily baisis after 5pm as going towards mainland is FOC.
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Penang is lagging behind comparatively.
By looking around, it’s not even a city by world standard.
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and yet NGO is trying to turn penang from urban to rural
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NGOs in a different world wor…
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@槟城人
I do have a feeling that the so-called NGOs which only consist of a very small group of people are alway trying to be funny. Are they from the political divide of oppositions?
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if you have been to the forum. you will get to know that these bunch of idiots are on a mission turning penang into a rural state.
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Maybe you don’t understand or read properly the entire text & it’s meaning.
20 to 30K (including island cars) cars pack the FIZ on a daily basis. Now 90% of those coming & going back from the mainland pack the 1st bridge. What sort of qty I don’t know but it’s still a huge amount just by looking at the jam.
Comparing usage between 1st & 2nd bridge, easily 90% use the 1st bridge.
So there should be plans and efforts made to encourage more users to utilize the 2nd bridge whether it’s for coming or going back.
Reduce that 90% dependency on the 1st bridge & it will get less jammed up.
Now the 2nd bridge is a big white elephant standing proud & tall but what’s the use???
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Wait till Ikea open, 2nd bridge will jam even on weekend.
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must buy more bananas for NGOs
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@Kwan
I like your optimism. if you read Penangite’s mind, most of them turn off for paying addition Ringgit in Parking, Bridge Toll, extra distance/miles etc
But good things is, we need more people like. So are you ready to go to Ikea every weekends?
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@Kwan
I like your optimism. if you read Penangite’s mind, most of them turn off for paying addition Ringgit in Parking, Bridge Toll, extra distance/miles etc
But good things is, we need more people like you. So are you ready to go to Ikea every weekends?
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So agree that the tanjung bungah teluk bahang should be built URGENTLY! The current road is narrow and winding and everyday when i use the road am putting my life at high risk with some buses tearing down the roads at a breakneck speed! i have no choice but to take that road as i live in Batu Ferringhi..almost every day you hear the siren of ambulances and when it rains, its double dangerous..those people who are objecting from tanjung bungah are just being very selfish and self centred..the new highway also serves batu ferringhi and teluk bahang areas (where it is urgently needed)- not just tanjung bungah!
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@Optimus
be patient and have some foresight. 30 years ago many people complained penang bridge is a waste of money with little traffic. look what happened now.
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This is funny. These bypass highways are supposed to cut the travel time between Gurney and Airport to 20 minutes.
If that’s the case, then why do we still need to PIL highway?
The selling point of the PIL was that it would cut the travel time between Gurney and Airport to 15 minutes. So we are building a new highway to cut the travel time but a mere 5 minutes?
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@jazz
Fully support !!
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@Alfred
I see the logic of jazz too !
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Any idea of the latest progress?
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@Tan
Ya, the latest progress is, they have changed the design of the highway a little bit, instead of going from gurney to airport, it will be from Komtar to Dato Keramat, Dato Keramot jail that is.
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