GEORGE TOWN: The feasibility studies for the proposed 7.2km Penang Undersea Tunnel project connecting George Town and Butterworth are in the final stages.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd had forwarded the report to the state government’s independent checking engineers (ICE) HSSI Sdn Bhd for checking and confirmation.
“The draft report was sent to Consortium Zenith in April for amendments before it is finalised and approved by the state government,” the Padang Kota assemblyman told the state legislative assembly sitting.
Chow was replying to a written question by Mohd Yusni Mat Piah (Pas-Penaga).
Yusni had asked Chow on the status of the undersea tunnel project and the amount of payment made for the project to date.
He also asked whether it was true that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was investigating the project, and if anyone was convicted, would the project continue.
The RM6.3 billion development has long been a subject of controversy, especially over the high cost of its RM305 million feasibility studies, as well as the more than two-year delay in its completion
The undersea tunnel project was awarded in 2013, and according to the Penang government, the time frame given to Consortium Zenith to complete the feasibility report was 30 months.
The undersea tunnel will connect George Town’s Jalan Pangkor with Bagan Ajam in Butterworth. It will be built at least 20m below the seabed.
It also includes three main roads, namely from Jalan Air Itam to the Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (5.7km), Jalan Tanjung Bungah to Jalan Teluk Bahang (10.53km) and the Jalan Pangkor-Persiaran Gurney junction to the Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (4.1km).
Chow said the state government had yet to make any payment to Consortium Zenith for the feasibility studies.
“The payment will only be made after the feasibility studies, once confirmed by the ICE, is forwarded to the state government for approval,” he said.
Chow said MACC had conducted an investigation into the project in the first quarter of 2018 and the state government had given the commission its full cooperation.
He stressed that there was no action taken against any party.
“The implementation of the project will be decided by the state executive council. As of now, the project is still going forward,” he added.
Yusni also asked if the state government had public displays for the project, to which Chow said that the public display would be held when conducting the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
“The EIA for the three main roads project, which was approved recently, involved months of public display along the proposed road pathway and at public places.
“However for the undersea tunnel, we have yet to come to the public display stage as we have yet to conduct the EIA,” he added.