PENANG is once again on the defence over the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) project after civil society groups slammed the new highway as a waste of money.

PIL1, which is part of the Penang Transport Master Plan, is estimated to cost RM7 billion.

Yesterday, Sahabat Alam Malaysia and the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) said the highway is not a long-term solution to traffic congestion.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today dismissed the criticism as “just the comment of one party, compared with all the studies that have been conducted by consultants on the project.”

“If the state government were to give in to (critics) and not build the highway, can you imagine the traffic problem in 2025, 2030 and 2035, and beyond?” he told a press conference on Penang Hill  after announcing the  Penang Hill Festival 2019 in July.

Yesterday, Chow announced the Environment Department’s approval of PIL1’s environmental impact assessment report, which comes with 56 conditions.

The 19.5km toll-free highway will link the northern and southern parts of the island from Persiaran Gurney to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Bayan Lepas free industrial zone.

It comes with 7.6km of viaduct sections, four tunnel sections measuring 10.1km, embankment sections of 1.8km and six interchanges.

Chow said traffic congestion on the island has reached a “critical” level and would cause economic losses without solutions such as PIL1.

“Traffic jams do not add to productivity. 

“If our traffic is always stuck in a standstill, which investors and tourists would want to come to Penang? Will Penang residents themselves be comfortable? Will they still have quality of life?”

Chow said the state had weighed the benefits of building the highway as well as its environmental and social impact.

A “silent majority” has waited long for good news on PIL1, he said.

While environmental and civil groups like SAM, CAP and Penang Forum criticised the project, other groups like AnakPinang have welcomed it. – April 16, 2019.