GEORGE TOWN: A RM500mil bridge from Penang island to Pulau Jerejak is coming under a private-sector project that will provide the island with its first permanent road connection.
Penang infrastructure committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the project was expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2029.
He said the project comprised a 1km bridge and 4km of connecting roads.
The bridge will have two lanes in each direction, along with dedicated pedestrian and bicycle lanes.
It will serve a mixed development on Pulau Jerejak comprising residential units, commercial lots, offices and other components.
Preliminary site works are under way near Queensbay Mall, where the construction site has been fenced off and a project information board installed.
The board stated that preliminary works began on May 19, 2025 and are scheduled for completion by July 31, 2029.
The bridge is being developed by Tropical Island Resort Sdn Bhd, the master developer overseeing the redevelopment of Pulau Jerejak.
State publisher Buletin Mutiara reported that Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the bridge was approved several years ago to Ideal Property Group.
Chow said the project did not involve the whole 360ha island but only 32ha previously owned by UDA Holdings Bhd and Penang Development Corporation (PDC).
He said both PDC and UDA had since disposed of their interests in the land, with Ideal Property Group now proceeding with the bridge and planned development.
Located off Bayan Lepas, Pulau Jerejak is best known for its history as a quarantine station and leprosy settlement dating back to the 19th century.
The island later housed a prison before becoming home to the Jerejak Rainforest Resort, hiking trails, camping facilities and beaches, all accessible only by ferry.
Earlier proposals envisioned a low-density, environmentally sustainable township with about 1,200 homes, hotels, commercial and recreational facilities and eco-tourism attractions.
Plans unveiled in 2019 said the four-lane bridge was to be mainly for pedestrians, cyclists and electric vehicles, while vehicles powered by internal combustion engines would require a special permission.
