Penang’s transport master plan to feature a land tunnel

PENANG (Oct 5): The state’s transport master plan (PTMP) will have a land tunnel since the Persiaran Gurney-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu bypass dubbed Package 3 will be 50% elevated and 50% underground or at grade, reported The Malaysian Insight news portal today.

PTMP special purpose vehicle chief Lim Hock Seng explained to the media at Komtar today that Package 3 will be located where the roads are narrow and unsuitable for viaducts.

The Malaysian Insight reported him saying that a double deck land tunnel would be at the Jalan Pangkor and Jalan Perak areas, before the bypass comes to the surface again in Sungai Pinang.

“The existing road is also narrow on Jalan Sungai Pinang. We cannot build four lanes, which will go right up to the edge of the buildings along the road.

“So the plan is to build a double deck elevated viaduct. We will have two lanes on top, two at the bottom,” he said.

The entire project is being undertaken by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, reported the news portal.

Meanwhile, senior executive director Le Chee Hoe told the media that the tunnel will be constructed with a tunnel boring machine.

“We cannot do blasting in the city centre,” he said.

The other two roads in the mega transport project are the North Coast Pair Road from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (aka Package 1) and the Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu bypass (aka Package 2).

The RM46 billion PTMP and the RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel, along with construction of three major roads is part of efforts to alleviate growing issues with congestion, which includes a network of highways, an LRT line and other modes of public transport built along with the creation of three islands on the southern coast.

The 19.5km PIL 1 highway from Gurney Drive to the second bridge is also part of the PTMP.