GEORGE TOWN – The contractor working on the second highway package of the Air Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is ahead of schedule, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
Rebutting speculations that the project is presently in limbo, he said that about 8% of the work has been completed, more than the original 6% completion target set on November 30 last year.
This is contrary to the criticism the opposition has been spouting about the project.
The slow work rate is primarily due to movement control order restrictions, the need for land acquisition and ensuring that the environment is not harmed, Chow said.
“I expect the work momentum to increase now since the lockdowns have been lifted,” Chow said, adding that the various authorities with the cooperation of the federal agencies would work on addressing any land acquisition if the need arises.
He said this after making a project site visit, which links the highly dense township of Air Itam to the main traffic dispersal expressway on the island.
“However, for now, I wish to focus on Package 2 first. Packages 1, 3 and 4 can wait. Otherwise, it gets confusing. We focus on this one for now.”
To ensure the environment is preserved and that noise pollution kept at a minimum, Chow said that the contractor under Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) will design three short-distance tunnels spanning some 2km as part of the highway design.
This will avoid any disruption to the residential homes and no excavation of the hill. It may lead to serious environmental issues if we do not take this approach.”
The tunnel will be designed based on minimum drilling and measured blasting.
The highway will be mostly elevated before it reaches behind the Island Glades and Island Park neighbourhoods, prior to linking up with the expressway.
Project director Razif Ahmad Zuber Ahmad Khan assured that there will not be any disruption to the lives of residents in the localities where the construction will take place.
The 6km highway will have six sections to complete with the total completion date set for 2025, said Chow.
“I want to see progress and I will only be happy once it is fully completed.”
The highway will consist of viaducts (65%), tunnels (20%) and elevated road (15%) and upon completion, is expected to ease traffic between Air Itam, Green Lane and trunk routes leading to the expressway.
Asked about a notification to Bursa Malaysia that the two main contractors have withdrawn from the project, Chow said that it is an internal restructuring exercise as CZC’s majority equity was bought over by the Kedah-based ECK Construction Sdn Bhd.
ECK’s managing director Tan Sri Dr Khor Eng Chuen was present alongside state infrastructure and transportation exco Zairil Khir Johari.
Package 2 is part of a comprehensive Penang Undersea Tunnel project with ECK winning the bid to be the project delivery partner.
According to previous reports, ECK was to complete three paired highway projects – Package 1, which links Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway, Package 2, and Package 3, which links Tg Bungah and Teluk Bahang.
Engineers who worked on the original CZC project alignments have claimed that Package 3 may not be able to be constructed due to the tough hilly terrain.
The main component is the undersea tunnel that links Gurney Drive to Bagan Ajam.
That project is mired in controversy due to legality and environmental concerns. – The Vibes, January 7, 2022
