GEORGE TOWN – The ongoing tug of war over the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) has prompted calls for the state government to step in to ensure parts of the project see the light of day.
A former key employee of Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) said traffic congestion in the state remains unresolved, and PTMP is meant to alleviate this problem.
“I hope that for the public’s sake, the highways, which were supposed to be constructed ahead of the proposed undersea tunnel, can be completed despite doubts.”
The RM6.2 billion PTMP comprises three highways – the Tg Bungah-Teluk Bahang route, Gurney Drive-Tun Lim Chong Eu Expressway and Air Itam Farlim-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway – as well as a 7.2km undersea tunnel.
Controversies aside, the ex-employee said the project is seen as a growth catalyst for Penang, and the spillover effects and improved infrastructure are expected to attract more investors.
When the project was first mooted in 2011, then chief minister Lim Guan Eng took cues from previous state administrations to revive the concept of a third link in the form of an elevated bridge.
It later became PTMP, incorporating reclamation schemes and land sales to fund new highways.
However, the idea for a third bridge was shot down by the federal government at the time, prompting Penang to propose an undersea tunnel connecting Gurney Drive on the island to Bagan Ajam in Butterworth.
The bridge also met with resistance from the Royal Malaysian Air Force and Penang Port Sdn Bhd, as its proposed location near the North Channel is said to be disruptive to fighter jets’ flight paths and commercial shipping lanes.
Despite this, CZC and a Chinese partner won the bid to be the project delivery partner (PDP), and by 2017, an agreement was inked between the company and state.
However, CZC ran into obstacles, and earlier this year, the state felt that it was necessary to allow ECK Development Sdn Bhd, which submitted the best tender outlay, to have a controlling stake in CZC.
By February, the consortium had laid off several employees, including engineers and administrators. About 60 were asked to leave as part of a restructuring process.
One of those retrenched confirmed the matter to The Vibes, saying some former staff have lodged their grievances with the industrial court.
The ex-employee said the undersea tunnel is estimated to cost RM4.2 billion, including for land acquisition, and the rest of the funds are meant for the construction of the three highways.
He said environmental and cost concerns have been expressed in relation to the package to build the highway linking Tg Bungah to Teluk Bahang.
A project spokesman previously said construction is still on for now, but there is a delay due to the challenges caused by Covid-19 travel restrictions.
A source said even if the undersea tunnel is scrapped, work on the highway packages should start.
“It was about completing the highways first, then the undersea tunnel.”
Penang has reportedly confirmed a land-exchange deal involving RM208 million paid to the PDP to conduct a feasibility study.
State infrastructure exco Zairil Khir Johari could not be reached for comment. – The Vibes, October 1, 2021
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