GEORGE TOWN: Repairs on the Burmah Road sinkhole are expected to take five days to complete, says Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
However, Rajendran said the council told Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) to reduce the repair duration by working at night and early mornings.
"Two lanes will remain open at all times for traffic. At night, one lane may be closed to allow the repairs to be carried out,” he said, according to reports by Buletin Mutiara on Monday (Sept 22).
A sinkhole big enough to wreck a car wheel or flip a motorbike appeared along Jalan Burmah near Komtar on Sunday (Sept 21), causing traffic congestion in the city.
Rajendran, who visited the site, said the repairs on the damaged 21-inch diameter underground pipe, measuring 13m in length, will be carried out at night to reduce traffic congestion.
"Two options were considered – whether to allow repair works throughout the day or restrict them to night hours.
“If we carry out works during the day, only one lane will remain open.
"This will cause serious traffic problems because it will slow down traffic from Penang Road and cause jams at neighbouring junctions
“After discussions with IWK, we agreed the works should be carried out at night,” he said.
He said by limiting works to night hours, two lanes can still be maintained for traffic flow during the day.
“This will not solve the congestion entirely, but at least it will reduce the traffic impact.
“The work will be carried out every night and we will allow them to start earlier in the evening to ensure that the repairs can be completed as soon as possible,” he said.
Rajendran said that residents and traders in the affected area have raised concerns about disruptions if the works drag on.
“The leakage was detected on Saturday (Sept 20) morning and we immediately reported it to IWK.
"They took prompt action to check the source of the problem and began repair works.
"We hope the works can be completed quickly,” he said.
When asked about the cost of the project, Rajendran said the figures have not been finalised.
He said IWK carried out detection works on Sunday (Sept 21) to trace the problem and confirmed that the entire 13m section needed to be replaced.
He explained that while the damaged pipe measured 13m, the traffic impact could stretch further.
“The affected stretch is from this section up to Penang Road, covering about 200m.
"The excavation itself may only cover about 20m, but the impact on traffic flow may be wider,” he said.
Rajendran stressed that the council will monitor the works closely and hoped the works could be wrapped up soon for the convenience of motorists.
Also present were IWK operations head Oung Chee Kuan, MBPP Engineering Department director Cheah Chin Kooi, and the council’s senior engineer Mohd Nasrul Nizam Nasri.
