GEORGE TOWN, July 11 ― A long stretch of crumbling seawall at Esplanade will be repaired and upgraded in several phases as part of a North Seafront Public Realm improvement programme.
The 600 metre-long seawall, parts of which are crumbling and cracked, will be upgraded over a two-year period as part of the North Seafront project.
“We will start with phase one of the seawall upgrading project with a 60 metre section and continue the work progressively along the whole length of the seawall,” said Think City executive director Hamdan Abdul Majeed.
The first phase of the project, to cost about RM800,000, will involve strengthening the seawall directly in front of the field as a continuation of the installation of a new outlet to channel the field's drainage water to sea.
He said they will continue with other sections of the seawall progressively over the next 18 to 24 months.
“We expect the whole seawall upgrading project to cost between RM15 million to RM20 million,” he said.
The upgrading of the seawall along the promenade will also include landscaping works and upgrading of the pedestrian walkways along the stretch.
The upgrading of the seawall is the second phase of the overall North Seafront project that encompasses the whole Esplanade vicinity stretching from Medan Renong up to the clock tower.
The concept masterplan for the overall project is developed by the George Town Conservation and Development Corporation (GTCDC), a tripartite partnership between the Penang state government's Chief Minister's Incorporated (CMI), Think City Sdn Bhd and the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
State executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow said the first phase of the North Seafront project, the upgrade of Padang Kota, is now almost completed.
“The council engineering department with the GTCDC team is completing the upgrading works of the field,” Chow said during a site visit to the field this morning.
The RM2 million works for the field included the restoration and upgrading of the underground drainage system in the field.
“The works have completed and now they need to let the grass establish itself before opening the field to public in the first week of September,” he added.
He said the council will be coming up with guidelines on the usage of the field to prevent damage to the underground drainage system.
“After this, lorries will not be allowed into the field and not everyone can set up stages on the field,” he said.
The North Seafront masterplan is a comprehensive project that are divided into 10 different zones including Dewan Sri Pinang, the two food courts, Fort Cornwallis, the clock tower and the town hall and city hall.
Amongst the works planned included establishing a formal archaeological site in a dry moat, recreating the most around Fort Cornwallis, relocating the food court and playground to the godowns at the Seafront and constructing a new Medan Renong food court.
