Penang Undersea Tunnel
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Penang Undersea Tunnel Map data ©2019 GooglePenang Undersea Tunnel is a planned highway to connect Penang Island and Penang Mainland. The length of the highway is 7.2 kilometers (4.5 miles) and includes an undersea tunnel between Bagan Jermal on Penang Island and Bagan Ajam in Butterworth. The undersea tunnel will be the first in Malaysia and only the second in Southeast Asia, after the undersea stretch of Singapore's Marina Coastal Expressway, at the mouth of the Singapore River, which was completed in 2013.
The Penang Undersea Tunnel will connect to the Persiaran Gurney Paired Road heading west and the George Town Inner Ring Road heading toward the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.
Map of the Penang Undersea Tunnel
This is the approximate map of the Penang Undersea Tunnel, also called the Tunnel Third LinkUpdates on the Penang Undersea Tunnel
- 1 April 2022
The Star reports that the Penang Port Commission (PPC) and Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) had sent a list of issues to be considered if the state government were to go ahead with the tunnel project. Among the considerations is that the tunnel needs to be at least 23m beneath the seabed, almost equal to the height of a seven-storey building. This is to cater for future deepening of Penang's channel, to let larger shops sail into the harbour.
PPC chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng, while welcoming the state's intention to give Penang a third link between the island and the mainland, said that it was vital to factor in the future expansion of Penang Port's services. According to him, they have always stressed that ships entering the harbour from the northern channel, especially large ones with a draft of 16m, need a minimum depth of 23m. - 31 March 2022
The Star reports Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng saying that the undersea tunnel plan will be important for the development of Penang, provided it can be built in line with the growth of Penang port.
Penang Port Commission (PPC) and Penang Port Sdn Bhd welcomed and supported the state government's intention to build the third link, but asked that the growth of the port's operations be given consideration as well.
- 12 March 2022
TheVibes.com reports that the feasibility study on the Penang Undersea Tunnel has been given a go-ahead, on condition that written reviews are provided by the Penang Port Commission and Penang Port Sdn Bhd.
According to Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, the feasibility report was presented by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd to the state executive council in February 2022. The state government has taken note of the report and the results have shown that the project should go ahead subject to compliance regulations. Considering the project will involve an area within the shipping and ferry routes, written reviews from PPC and PPSB are necessary. - 28 August, 2019
StarBiz reports that the first phase of Penang's tunnel project worth RM6.34 billion is set to start construction by end of October, 2019. According to Consortium Zenith Construction, a master agreement was signed on 2 August that indicated the Penang State Government's commitment to proceed with the project. The tunnel, which will be owned by the state government, will consist of three toll-free roads and a tolled tunnel. The first phase is the 5.7km Ayer Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass, estimated to cost RM1.07 billion. This comprises RM851.04million construction cost and RM220million land acquisition cost. Construction, expected to commence in October 2019, is expected to take 36 months to complete. - 2 July, 2018
EdgeProp reports that Consortium Zenith Construction (CZC) Sdn Bhd has proposed building a bridge instead of the RM6.3billion Penang Undersea Tunnel to connect Penang Island to Penang Mainland. In the statement by its senior executive director Datuk Darul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli, feasibility studies for the undersea tunnel was already 96% completed and will be submitted to the Penang State Government in September or October 2018. In the submission, the company will also make a suggestion to build a bridge as an alternative to the tunnel. Senior executive director of CZC, Datuk Lee Chee Hoe, said that the bridge would have to be of a suitable height for larger ships to pass beneath it. The bridge will also have to accommodate a LRT line underneath it. - 11 November, 2017 Malay Mail Online reports (Mudajaya withdraws from Penang undersea tunnel project) that Mudajaya Group Bhd has announced its withdrawal from the proposed undersea tunnel project, saying it would be difficult to proceed with the obligations under the letter of award given to it by Consortium Zenith on 1 December, 2016, due to some uncertainties. According to The Star, the issues that are making it difficult for Mudajaya to execute the project include the inability to secure the exact date for the site possession, the uncertainty in signing the construction contract, and the insufficient information provided for the project.
- 11 October, 2017
Malay Mail Online reports (Penang undersea tunnel firm says time on its side for feasibility study on 2023 project) that Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd sees no urgency to present its feasibility study on the proposed undersea tunnel as construction was planned to only start six years from now.
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