THE Department of Environment has approved the 19.5km Pan Island Link 1 project in Penang with 56 conditions, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

He said the approval was given on April 10 and construction of the highway will begin by the middle of next year.

“The Penang government considers this a major milestone for the project,” he told a press conference today. 

The proposed highway has caused a major controversy in Penang, with activists saying it will have a major impact on the environment.

The highway is part of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), linking the northern part of the island at Persiaran Gurney to the south at the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Bayan Lepas free industrial zone 4 area.

It comes with 7.6km of viaduct sections, four tunnel sections measuring 10.1km, embankment sections of 1.8km and six interchanges. It is estimated to cost RM7 billion.

Chow said the conditional approval, following a review on the original environmental impact assessment report that underwent detailed scrutiny, review and deliberation by a technical review committee, was a “major milestone”.

“It is a momentous occasion for Penang in its vision to address the traffic conditions in the state, namely through initiatives to improve transportation infrastructure,” he said.

Chow said the EIA conditions include complying with an environmental management plan (EMP).

“When implementing the project, steps must be taken to control earth works, mitigate traffic and other measures to prevent impact on the local community.

“For example, the consultant will have to prepare an EMP before the work begins,” Chow said.

He said approvals from various federal agencies were neede before PIL1’s construction could begin in July next year and be completed by June 2026.

Chow pledged that Penang would adhere to DoE’s stringent guidelines at every level of the project.

Optimism for PSR?

He said in the meantime, the state would work on the detailed design phase of the project and appoint work package contractors through open tender while pursuing approvals for the light rail transit (LRT) and Penang South Reclamation (PSR), which are also part of PTMP.

The PSR is a proposal to create three man-made islands off the southern coast of Penang island. Land on these islands will be sold to fund the PTMP.

Without PSR, PTMP will be stalled.

Both the PSR and LRT are scheduled to be presented to the National Physical Planning Council (NPPC), which is chaired by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, on Thursday.

“Without funding, we are just left with approvals. All along, the PSR is the funding model. While waiting for the reclaimed land to generate funds, we need bridging finance.”

Chow said the PTMP project delivery partner, SRS Consortium, will have to come up with part of the bridging fund to get the project started.

“The state will also do its part on this,” he said.

Asked if he was optimistic about Thursday’s meeting given that PIL1’s EIA had been approved, Chow said “we will wait for Thursday to be positively positive.”

He said he would not make remarks on the prospects of the projects until the state received approval letters for them.

Chow said the tentative cost of PIL1 would be clearer when the design, technical and engineering aspect of the highway, as well as land acquisition and compensation costs, were finalised.

To build PIL1, the state expects that it will have to acquire some private land and relocate some houses.

“The real cost will be determined when tenders and contracts are called. Bidders may offer higher or lower prices, which will influence the project cost.

“By then, we will have a clearer picture. For now the estimate is RM7 billion.”

Private funders?

Asked if the state would consider private funders for the project, Chow said Penang expects the PIL1 to generate a lot of interest.  

“We are sure we will be listening to proposals from parties interested to look into the financing of the project,” he said.

PIL1 has been heavily criticised by local civil groups and some residents associations.

Penang Forum, an umbrella organisations of local pressure groups, has repeatedly voiced opposition to the plan, arguing that building more roads will not solve the state’s traffic congestion, and the construction would be bad for the environment.

The group has been pushing for public transport in Penang to be improved, such as introducing a BRT (bus rapid transit) system, so people will stop relying on private vehicles.

The PTMP also has a BRT component among its plans. – April 15, 2019.