GEORGE TOWN: An evening downpour caused a "mini flood" along the newly opened Bukit Kukus paired road, the highest elevated highway in the country.
A 10-second video has been circulating on social media showing a section of the road that slopes down having stagnant water during a downpour on Saturday (Feb 5) evening.
The ponding of water occurred at a section that dipped along the paired road causing a slight jam as cars slowed down to pass through the section.
The man taking the video from inside his car can be heard saying "it (the paired road) turned out to be a bridge to contain water" in Hokkien, as he waded through what is believed to be less than 30cm of water.
The video shows a motorcyclist choosing to cut across and wait at the side of the road as the water level was too high to ride through.
Comments on the video included questions on the drainage system of the tallest elevated highway in the country.
The road linking Ayer Itam and Bayan Lepas in Penang, opened to the public on Jan 13 this year.
The 3.8km stretch of road winds around Bukit Kukus from Lebuh Bukit Jambul on the Bayan Lepas side to Jalan Tun Sardon and Paya Terubong in Ayer Itam.
The elevated road, expected to serve about 60,000 motorists a day, links the most densely populated neighbourhoods on the island and is expected to relieve traffic congestion on the old roads by 30%.
It also has a cycling lane, giving users a view of green forest in the area from 61.5m above ground.
Construction on the Bukit Kukus paired road started in January 2016 but work on the project was delayed not only by the Covid-19-triggered movement control order in 2020 but also by several tragic mishaps.
