Heavy equipment arrives to kickstart Air Itam highway under the undersea tunnel project

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 19 — Heavy machinery has started arriving at the construction site of a 6km dual carriageway that is part of the RM6.3 billion three major roads and undersea tunnel (PMRT) project.

This morning, hydraulic excavators, bulldozers and soil compactors were seen transported to the construction site at Lorong Bukit Gambir where works on the highway are expected to start on February 1.

It is learnt that about 40 different types of machines will be making their way to the site in preparation for the construction works.

Other machinery and equipment that will be arriving at the site included dump trucks, bored piling machines, mobile crane, crawler crane, roller compactor, road paving machines, tandem roller, backhoe loader and mixer trucks.

The 6km dual carriageway is Package Two of the PMRT project to build a highway to connect Lebuhraya Thean Teik in Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway.

The alignment for Package Two consists of a 4.2km elevated section and a 1.8km of at-grade section.

There will be three interchanges along the road; Interchange One at Lebuhraya Thean Teik, Interchange Two at Jalan Bukit Gambir — Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and Interchange Three at Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway with a left in- left out junction and an elevated U-turn.

Last week, the state government signed a supplemental agreement with Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) which will kickstart physical construction works of the highway.

It also marked the starting point of the overall PMRT project.

Heavy machinery are transported into Penang to start work on the Air Itam- Tun Dr Lim Choong Eu Expressway bypass January 19, 2021. — Picture by Sayuti Zainudin

Package Two is expected to complete by January 3, 2025.

The master agreement for the PMRT project was signed on August 2, 2019 and this was followed by the signing of a sub-agreement for Package Two on October 11, 2019.

The supplemental agreement to the sub-agreement for Package Two was signed on January 15 this year.

A ground-breaking ceremony for Package Two was held on November 2, 2019 in which early works were started.

The PMRT consists of three toll-free major roads and a tolled undersea tunnel.

The packages under the project are Package One (north coastal paired road from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang), Package Two (Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass), Package Three (Gurney Drive to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass) and Package Four (Undersea tunnel).