Source: TheStar
After more than a decade, the proposed Penang Undersea Tunnel, part of the RM46bil Penang Transport Master Plan, looks to be stalled due to delays in the release of the feasibility study report. According to a news article published by TheStar, State infrastructure and transport committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari confirmed the delay and stated that there is no clear timeline for the project to start. He further added that work may only begin beyond 2026 or further, with at least five years required for necessary approvals from the Federal Government and other relevant agencies.
First proposed in 2011, the Penang Undersea Tunnel project was intended to link Gurney Drive on the island with Bagan Ajam on the mainland in Penang, aimed at easing the chronic traffic congestion in the state. However, the project has been marred by delays, and the complete feasibility study report has already missed its deadlines in 2014 and 2016.
The state government has said that it would only make a decision on the implementation of the project after considering written reviews from the Penang Port Commission and Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), both of which have strong reservations about the project.
Due to the latest delay in the undersea tunnel project, PPSB will now carry out its RM1bil expansion at the North Butterworth Container Terminal (NBCT) as planned without waiting for the tunnel construction to start. Its chief executive officer, Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan, has confirmed that the NBCT expansion and the tunnel construction have turned out to be contentious issues due to the clash of construction routes, although both parties have agreed to coexist and work together.
