Report: Penang State Govt Considering Third Bridge Option

it appears that the Penang state govt is open to considering a third bridge option instead of an undersea tunnel previously proposed to serve as the island's third link. (Image: myPenang.gov.my)

In a recent report by local daily The Star published earlier this week, it appears that the Penang state government is taking a third bridge option into consideration. This will stand as an alternative towards a proposed undersea tunnel connecting the island state with the mainland.

The same report indicated that Penang infrastructure and transport committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari had expressed the state government’s consideration towards the proposal to have a bridge across the Penang Straits instead.

"The feasibility study was completed in 2023, covering the viability of the new design, namely a bridge, or other alternative designs,” remarked the committee head.

"The implementation study for this alternative design will be completed in the near future and the new design is expected to be finalised once the study is concluded," added Zairil further as part of his closing address during a state assembly sitting held on Wednesday, May 21.

Moreover, Zairil had also stressed that a Traffic Impact Assessment and any necessary evaluation would be carried out once the aforementioned study concludes.

Earlier this year, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow confirmed a "change in alignment" for Penang's third link, but didn't outright confirm if this was either a bridge or undersea tunnel project. (Image: penangbridge.com.my)

Talks of Penang’s third link has been on-going for sometime now. Earlier this year in Feb, the island state’s Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow had confirmed “a change in alignment” for the island’s third link for vehicular movement between the island and Seberang Prai.

At the time, Chow did not reveal details nor did he specify if this third link would be an undersea tunnel or a bridge.

Going as far back as 2021, it was reported then that the Penang state government had not ruled out the possibility of a third bridge as a replacement for the proposed undersea tunnel project – part of a mega project that’s set to cost upwards of RM6.3 billion.

Presently, Penang is connected to the mainland via two active bridges.