NOBODY is out to destroy Penang with the proposed 19.5km Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) highway, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.

The PIL1 project, comprising 70% hill tunnels through Penang Hill, Paya Terubong and Sungai Ara, has been much criticised by Penang civil society, namely Penang Forum, which sought to get the highway cancelled.

Chow said the alignment of the highway to stretch from Persiaran Gurney in the north to Relau in the south and its proposed hill tunnels were chosen because it would cause the least disruption to local communities.

“We do not have the (alternative) space if you look at the geography of the island. Wherever we can build, we have built.

“We don’t want to move to the hills but practically, our northeast corridor has no space. So, the alignment was chosen to go through the hills with tunnels to have the least disruption on existing communities.”

He was addressing civil society members’ comments about PIL1 during the question-and-answer session at the Penang 2030 forum.

Lim Gaik Siang from Penang Heritage Trust raised concerns about the hill tunnels with Chow, arguing Penang Hill was applying to be a Unesco Biosphere Reserve and that parts of the PIL1 project tunnel were at sensitive areas and close to the Air Itam earth dam.

She also urged the state to review the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), of which PIL1 is part of, saying that 70km of elevated infrastructure for proposed highways, monorails and light rail transit would jeopardise Penang’s aesthetics.

Chow said the state government would issue a reply in the coming days.

“We will issue the statement so that you can appreciate why this alignment was chosen. They are too technical to discuss here.”

He also said the statement would explain the methods of construction and address concerns of local communities.

On whether Penang Hill was geologically strong enough for the tunnels, Chow said experts believed the rock granite could withstand such a project.

“We have so many tunnel projects in Malaysia that we can look at to ensure that the same practices are applied.

“Don’t frighten Penangites (by saying) that one blow will (destroy) Penang Hill. It will not be done that way,” he said.

Chow said a tunnel had to be built “inch by inch” through controlled blasting, concreting and stabilising the exposed area.

“Nobody wants to damage Penang with this project. I think it is crucial that we have it for the future.”

Chow also told Penang Forum rep Khoo Salma Nasution that the state threw out its tram idea as it would take over existing roads, unlike trains that can run on elevated platforms.

“We are just taking about 40-60 modal share, not 100% public transport share. The 60% will still require the roads to travel.

“If we have to replace the roads taken over by trams, we will have to acquire land. That will cost more.

“Trams in the inner city (of George Town) means that traffic will have to be changed and vehicles will no longer be allowed. But that will come in the future phase. For now, the focus is the LRT from Komtar to Bayan Lepas.”

Salma had argued that, with the change in federal government, which has authority over public transport, the Penang government could review the PTMP to focus on public transport instead of highways that would cost more to build.

She cited a report by UK-based engineering consultant Halcrow stating it would only cost RM10 billion for a comprehensive public transport plan of trams and bus rapid transit for the island and mainland, which was cheaper than building the first and second phases of PIL that would cost RM12 billion.

Salma said the PTMP should be reviewed for environmental and economic reasons and also to ensure that it was “truly an inclusive mobility plan” that benefitted the bottom 40 group that could not afford cars.

Chow said this was not the first time these issues had been raised.

“Halcrow is just a broad concept master plan. The caveat by Halcrow was that the report was done without detailed design consideration, and the estimated costs was broad brush without technical considerations. It also did not include land acquisition costs.

“But Penang Forum refuses to accept this.”

To another congestion-related question from the floor, Chow said the PTMP was a state initiative and that it was in the process of getting federal approvals for several proposed components.

“The PTMP is a balanced approach for addressing congestion while promoting public transport. This is important for Penang’s growth.”

Chow also said that the state also considered balancing development while tackling climate change, in reply to an earlier comment from Salma.

The session, which lasted some 80 minutes, was moderated by Penang Institute executive director Ooi Kee Beng.

Chow also addressed various questions on the state’s “family-focused” vision most of which came from the floor comprising representatives from the business community and civil society. – August 29, 2018.