GEORGE TOWN: Repair works to nine electrical cables below the Penang Bridge, which caught fire on Feb 22, will begin tomorrow.
Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) chairman Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the repairs are expected to take 119 days (about four months) to complete.
"We worked closely with the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) and Plus Malaysia Berhad (Plus) in the appointment of the contractor for the repair works.
"If all goes well, the contractor will move into the site tomorrow to begin work," he told newsmen here today.
He said the cost of the repairs is still being assessed, and the cause of the fire is still being determined.
"Until today, we have not been informed on the cause of the fire. We are still awaiting the full report from the Fire and Rescue Department," he added.
The Feb 22 fire, which broke out just before the evening peak hour, resulted in massive traffic jams spanning several kilometres on both sides of the bridge.
Black smoke was seen billowing from the underside of the bridge where the cables were located.
TNB had said that the fire involved 132kV cables from the Bukit Tengah to Bayan Mutiara transmission main intake.
Following the fire, Plus has assured the public that the Penang Bridge is structurally sound and safe for use.
Meanwhile, Mahdzir said plans are in the pipeline for a new connection from the Prai to Gelugor transmission main intake.
He was speaking to reporters after TNB's Ceria Ke Sekolah programme at Menara JKP here.
Some 1,400 pupils in the state will be given RM100 worth of assistance each.
Altogether, TNB spent about RM3 million for the programme nationwide.