(From left) Penang Infrastructure Corporation (PIC) CEO Datuk Seri Farizan Darus, Penang state infrastructure, transport and digital committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow, Consortium Zenith Construction president (project & development) Lim Hooi Kooi and state secretary Datuk Zulkifli Long looking at the Penang Major Roads Third Link, Package 1- North Coastal Paired Road at Komtar.—CHAN BOON KAI/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Work on the RM2.43bil North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR) is expected to begin next year, says Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
A new alignment of the NCPR has been introduced to reduce the project’s impact on densely populated areas, he told a press conference at his office in Komtar on Thursday (Feb 27).
However, he said hill clearing was unavoidable, with 70% of the road cutting through hills.
The NCPR will serve as an alternative route from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang, he added.
The new alignment would circumvent Chee Seng Gardens, Jalan Chan Siew Teong, Marvista and Beverly Hills, compared with the earlier alignment proposed a decade ago.
"The Penang government will fund 4.88km of the 10.61km paired road project from Jalan Tanjung Bungah to Jalan Sungai Emas through a land swap to Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC).
"CZC will fund the remaining 5.73km from Jalan Sungai Emas to Teluk Bahang through a contra arrangement for the company’s future development projects in the state.
"The realignment was necessary to avoid a densely populated area with... part of the route being extended out to the sea," he said.
Chow added that the updated design would take about six months to be finalised.
"A revised environmental impact assessment (EIA) will also be made for the new route, particularly the coastal portion, which is expected to take one and a half years to complete," he said.
He said only Kampung Mutiara in Batu Ferringhi is expected to be affected by the project.
"However, UDA (the Urban Development Authority) has plans to redevelop this area in line with the construction of the NCPR," he said.
Chow said CZC has been requested to consider Penang's Unesco Biosphere Reserve status when building the NCPR.
The NCPR will have two sections – 8.41km of main road and 2.2km along the coast.
It will start at Jalan Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah and run along the coastline, going past the Floating Mosque and following the beach near Batu Ferringhi.
The road will have intersections at Jalan Sungai Emas, Batu Ferringhi (the Chin Farm traffic lights) and Teluk Bahang.
The cost of the project, which will take five years to complete, includes RM500mil for land acquisition.
When completed, the NCPR will reduce travel time from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang to just seven minutes from the current 30 to 45 minutes.
The project is part of Penang's undersea tunnel and roads project, which in turn is part of the RM46bil Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
The NCPR is one of three paired roads and third link projects under the PTMP.
