Abdul Rahman (seated centre) and Majimor (third right) attending the Consortium Zenith Construction Hari Raya open house at G Hotel Gurney in Penang.
WORKS on one of the three paired roads — the 5.7km Ayer Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass — are expected to startat the beginning of the second quarter next year.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) senior executive director Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli said the groundbreaking ceremony was expected to be held end of this year.
“There is still land acquisition to be done by the Land Office on 10 plots of Federal and private lands.
“It will take about three to six months.
“Once we have done a considerable amount of work on this paired road, we will then start work on the 10.53km North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR) from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang.
“Otherwise, Penang island will become a major construction site,” he said during an interview at a hotel yesterday.
The paired roads are part of the RM6.3bil mega project, which also comprises a 7.2km undersea tunnel connecting Gurney Drive on the island to Bagan Ajam in Seberang Prai, and the 4.075km Gurney Drive — Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass.
The road from Ayer Itam will be 5.7km long, starting from Jalan Kampung Pisang and connecting with the expressway in Gelugor.
This road will have three interchanges, allowing motorists to get on and off from Jalan Thean Tek, Jalan Yeap Chor Ee and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah.
About 70% of the dual carriageway will be elevated and the link provides for a 70km/h speed limit.
Zarul said they had secured the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment approval for all the three paired roads.
“We are now proceeding with the Environmental Management Plan and the state government is looking into the land acquisition issue,” he said.
On concerns raised by Tanjung Bungah Residents Association (TBRA) that 46% of the proposed NCPR would be on terrain with a higher than 25 degree slope, Zarul said they had considered all issues and concerns raised by the public.
“As a result, those concerns have been translated into the environmental management plan, which we have to comply.
“The Department of Environment (DoE) imposed 59 conditions on us and some of them were to rectify the environmental issues.
“We will make sure that the issues will be taken into consideration and keep the environment intact.
“The trees and the Dusky Leaf Monkeys (langur), a kind which can only be found up north, will be well taken care of,” he said.
The NCPR is a 10.53km four-lane road from near SK Teluk Bahang stretching until the L-shaped bend of Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah’s hillside.
It will have three interchanges along the way — in Jalan Sungai Emas, Persiaran Sungai Permai and near Chin Farm Waterfall.
CZC is the special purpose vehicle of the Penang project comprising three main roads and an undersea tunnel.
Zarul and his colleagues also played host to a Hari Raya open house attended by Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, his consort Toh Puan Majimor Shariff and other distinguished guests.
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