Penang authorises realignment of third link road project

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 28 — The Penang state government has approved a proposal to change the alignment for the third link, previously known as the undersea tunnel project.

Penang Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state exco has authorised project contractor, Consortium Zenith Construction (CZC), to continue with feasibility studies on a change to the alignment.

“A new alignment is proposed for the third link after taking into consideration the future Penang Port expansion plan and traffic dispersal in Gurney Bay,” he told a press conference here after handing out allocation to mission schools in Penang.

However, Chow remained non-committal about whether the third link will still be the initially proposed undersea tunnel or a bridge.

He said this will hinge on the outcome of the CZC’s studies.

“It will look into whether the changes to the alignment are feasible and this will take a few months to complete,” he said.

He said CZC has held regular discussions with the state government on the project.

“They will present the finalised feasibility studies to the state exco once it’s completed along with the direction of the project,” he said.

When asked if the state has submitted the project to the National Physical Planning Council's (NPPC) for review, Chow said no

“We are not at a stage to submit it to the NPPC yet, since there are changes to the alignment and feasibility studies have to be conducted,” he said.

Recently, Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming reportedly said the undersea tunnel project must be submitted to the NPPC for review due to its significant developmental impact on the environment and the effects on fishing activities.

Chow said the third link is meant for vehicular transport between Penang island and Seberang Perai.

The third link is part of a RM6.3 billion package project including three paired roads under the state’s Penang Transport Master Plan.

An undersea tunnel was initially proposed as a third link between the island and the mainland to reduce congestion on the first Penang bridge.

The three paired roads under the project were the Package One - Tanjung Bungah-Teluk Bahang paired road, Package Two - the Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, and Package Three - the Gurney Drive-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway paired road.