Nova Place, a commercial development by Nova Mulia, located along the proposed new link connecting Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim to Jelutong Expressway.
Property Project : Nova Place
Location : Jelutong, Penang
Property Type : Commercial
Developer : Nova Mulia Development Sdn. Bhd.
Gardens Ville, part of the integrated lifestyle development by GSD Land in Sungai Ara, Penang. Featuring lushly landscaped garden at podium level, panoramic hill and sea view, club house with recreational facilities and many more. It comprises condominium units with built-up size ranging from 1,100 sq.ft to 1,300 sq.ft.
Related Project: 19 Park Residences @ Gardens Ville
Project Name : Gardens Ville
Location : Sungai Ara, Penang
Property Type : Condominium
Built-up Area : 1,100 sq.ft. – 1,300 sq.ft.
Land Tenure : Freehold
Developer : GSD Land (M) Sdn. Bhd.
Indicative Price : RM400,000 onwards
With the hum and buzz of Free Industrial Zone factories on one side and sights of the Penang Channel on the other, driving on the southern end of the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway on Penang Island has always been scenic.
But over the last year, more interesting things have been happening.
Near the very end of the expressway in Batu Maung, concrete piers have been emerging in the sea, marking the foundation work for the Second Penang Bridge.
The 292nd and last pier was cast just last Saturday, paving the way for the 24km superstructure to follow suit.
With the completion date for the bridge now expected to be two months ahead of the September 2013 target, excitement is growing on the ground.
General worker Mohd Tarmizi Yazid, 38, said journeys to and from the mainland would be much easier, especially for lorries and cargo freights.
“Things will be so much faster with a bridge on this side (of the island).
“Lorries and cargo vehicles have limited hours to use the first bridge and it has become very congested,” said Tarmizi.
The father of three, whose family has lived in Permatang Damar Laut, Bayan Lepas, for generations, said the price of land was also rising in the south of the island.
“With the bridge, more public facilities are sure to follow and I’ve heard that the price of our land is going up,” said Tarmizi.
Commuters from the mainland are also counting the days until the new link opens.
Penang Seagate Industries (M) Sdn Bhd manufacturing senior engineer Tan Soo Min said the second bridge could not open soon enough for her.
“If the second bridge wasn’t being built, I would sell my house in Simpang Ampat and buy a small apartment on the island.
“I’m so tired of the traffic jams on the current bridge,” said Tan, 31.
She said that currently, the 33km journey from her house to Penang Seagate via the first bridge takes her 50 minutes in the mornings, while return journeys after work take about one-and-a-half hours.
She said even though her journey to work using the second link would be slightly lon-
ger than if she used the first bridge, she would take the new bridge as long as the trip was faster.
Tan’s co-worker P. Maran, 47, said the second bridge would provide an alternative for commuters.
“I’m excited as there are now two options for people.
“I’ve had many experiences with the first bridge with events putting traffic at a standstill.
“For example, when there was a bomb scare there a few years ago, I had to leave my car overnight in Bayview Hotel Georgetown and take a taxi to the ferry to get home,” said Maran, a production manager who has commuted from Bukit Minyak on the mainland to the island for 18 years.
He said he hoped a good access road would be built to the second link to ensure there were no jams leading up to the new bridge.
Aside from those eager to make use of the Second Penang Bridge, commuters who are nearer the first bridge are also all smiles.
Driver Nasir Udin’s hope is that with the new link, the traffic on the old bridge will be considerably smoother.
“I hope there will be less congestion on the first bridge.
“Now it takes me about 40 minutes by mo-torcycle to reach Batu Maung from Permatang Tok Jaya,” said Nasir, 44.
Fisheries Development Authority Board (LKIM) assistant accountant Manjawati Sam-suddin, 36, said she would use the second link if she heard of any accidents happening on the first bridge.
“Once an accident happens, no matter how minor, semua habis (things are finished). You can be stuck on the bridge for an hour,” she said.
Manjawati, who makes the 112km-round trip journey to Penang island from Sungai Petani every day, added that she hoped the second link, like the first bridge, would offer a reduced toll of RM5.60 (from RM7) for frequent travellers.
Source: The Star
The state government should revive a proposal originally mooted by the former state administrative to construct a road-cum-bridge connecting the Penang Science Park in Batu Kawan and Juru Heights in Juru.
Barisan Nasional’s Bukit Tambun constituency co-ordinator Lai Chew Hock said the estimated 3km-long link was supposed to include a 1km-long bridge over Sungai Juru.
He said the link was vital as there were now more factories operating in the Penang Science Park and in the neighbouring Bukit Minyak Industrial Park.
“The former Barisan-led state administration started planning the link in 2007 as it envisioned a high number of motorists commuting from the housing schemes in Juru to the factories in Bukit Minyak and Batu Kawan.
“However, the plan, which was being finalised just before the March 2008 general election, was shelved when Pakatan Rakyat took control of Penang after the general election,” he said in an interview recently.
Lai, the former Bukit Tambun assemblyman, said that with the Second Penang Bridge slated for completion by October next year, the traffic volume in Batu Kawan town was expected to triple.
He also said the state government should come up with a comprehensive masterplan for its proposed overall development in Batu Kawan.
“With the Second Penang Bridge connecting Batu Kawan here to Batu Maung on the island, there is bound to be rapid economic growth on both ends of the bridge,” he said.
Lai said many locals in Batu Kawan and Bukit Tambun, who were involved in farming, livestock breeding and seafood export, were worried that their businesses might have to make way for development plans in the future.
“The state should gazette agriculture land in this area to give these businessmen an assurance that they need not have to move out later on.”
He said the residents there had no clue of the type of industries and housing projects that the state planned to develop in the area, especially after the Second Penang Bridge is completed.
Source: The Star
GEORGE TOWN (Mar 15): Contractors who are interested in undertaking heritage building conservation work are invited to participate in a Heritage Building Conservation Workshop organised by George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) on April 21-22.
GTWHI Education Programme Coordinator Rozaini Hassan said the two-day workshop would be held at the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
The workshop, the third series managed by GTWHI, is aimed at increasing the contractors’ level of professionalism as well as skills and quality in carrying out maintenance and conservation works on heritage buildings.
In a statement to Bernama here on Thursday, Rozaini said GTWHI is targeting building contractors for the workshop and participation is limited to only 40 people with priority given to early registrations.
“The two-day workshop will focus on technique and usage of building materials, namely, lime coating, roof trusses and wood. Participants would be exposed to both the theory and practical aspects based on the topics.”
The workshop is jointly sponsored by USM, Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) and Malaysian Institute of Architects. Participants would be given certificates and points to enable the contractors to renew their registration licences with CIDB.
The workshop fee is RM250 each and registration forms can be downloaded from the GTWHI website.
GTWHI is a body set up to manage, monitor and enforce heritage-related works in Penang. – Bernama
SOURCE: The Edge Property
