THE MUCH - awaited northern coastal paired road which links the affluent neighbourhood of Tanjung Bungah with the tourism belt of Teluk Bahang, will proceed despite concerns over a new alignment cutting through hills,
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the landmark project, estimated at RM2.9 billion, including RM500 million for land acquisition, will take five years to complete.
Measuring 10.61km in length, 2.2km will be coastal, while about 70% will go through hills with earthworks expected to begin next year.
"It is an alternative route from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang. When completed, the current journey between both locations which now takes between 30 and 45 minutes, will be reduced to just seven minutes," he told a press conference.
The project was one of the three highway packages announced together with the ambitious 7.2 km undersea tunnel between Gurney Drive and Began Ajam.
The bypass from Air Itam to the island's sole expressway - the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, has already begun with some 30% work completed.
The other is the link between Gurney Drive to the same expressway and it is believed that the project will begin once the mega reclamation of the waterfront, is settled.
Chow said the state plans to fund 4.88km of the 10.61km paired road project from Tanjung Bungah to Jalan Sungai Emas through land swap method to the project delivery partner - Consortium Zenith Construction (CZC) Sdn Bhd.
CZC would fund the remaining 5.73km from Jalan Sungai Emas to Teluk Bahang through contra method for the company's future development projects in the state.
CZC is now controlled by Kedah - based developer - ECK Development Sdn Bhd.
On environmental concerns, Chow stressed that a revised environmental impact assessment (EIA) will be made for the new route, particularly the coastal portion, which will take 17 months.
The new route will avoid the densely populated residential area of Chee Seng Gardens, Jalan Chan Siew Teong, Mar Vista, Beverly Hills and its surrounding areas.
But some members of the civil society umbrella body - Penang Forum have expressed concerns that hill cutting would endanger the ecology of the area, questioning if the technology can withstand boring through granite laden hills. - February 28, 2025.
