TRAFFIC weary commuters here may find themselves stuck in another major congestion as Penang conducts maintenance work on both bridges on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Commuters have been told to brace themselves as both bridges, which are important road arteries, will be partially closed for 48 hours.
Senior lawyer S. Raveentharan hopes the authorities of both bridges can better coordinate their maintenance work after reports surfaced today that both bridges are poised to undergo road works in the next three days.
"I think better coordination is needed. Perhaps they could differ. We are still within the Raya month so people are still travelling to mark the Adil Fitri celebrations."
Raveentharan said there is no other way to drive from the peninsular to Penang island other than the two bridges since the Penang Port no longer has the cross-channel ferries which bring vehicles across.
Although traffic on the second bridge from Batu Maung to Batu Kawan on the mainland is lighter compared to the one from Gelugor to Sungai Dua in Butterworth, both areas tend to encounter daily gridlocks due to their locations.
Both bridges are located near the state's economic epicenters - the services sector consisting of the commercial and tourist parts of Penang and the manufacturing zone.
IJM Land Bhd, the developer of The Light township project, has informed that there will be a temporary lane closure and traffic diversion on the median of the Bayan Lepas bound and George Town bound routes of Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The developer said in a statement this was to facilitate construction works for The Light Interchange, which involves the construction of new elevated ramps connecting The Light Waterfront enclave and widening of the strategic Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
Any temporary traffic diversions or road closures will be scheduled during off-peak hours from 10pm to 5am, in order to minimise disruption to road users, it said.
Meanwhile, the operator of the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge (second Penang Bridge), from KM 12.5 to KM 18.5 announced in a separate statement that it will be closed from Tuesday to Thursday for cable inspection work.
Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd said the closure will start from 9am until 5pm throughout the three days and that the contra flow lane will be activated.
“The temporary closure is to make way for cable inspection work on the main span and the lanes will be back to normal after the inspection,” it said in a posting on Facebook.
JKSB advises road users to observe all signages displayed along the route.
State executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said the congestion may be minimal.
He replied via Whatsapp that the maintenance hours for both bridges are different.
"The IJM work is at night while work on the second bridge is during the day. IJM's road works are from 10pm until 5am whereas the second bridge is during office hours. I think it can be managed," said Zairil. - The Vibes, April 21, 2024.
