BUKIT MERTAJAM: The study and design work for the Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway project has commenced, with the executing agency expected to take about a year to complete the process.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the physical implementation of the traffic dispersal project would begin once the executing agency finishes the study and design aspects. He said, typically, it would begin with study and design works, which would take at least a year.
"The executing agency has already started work. However, the public may not see it (the study and design aspects of the project) because there are no bulldozers at the site, even though the works have begun. That's the difference in perception.
"I have been informed that the allocation for the project has been prepared this year, including for consultation works," he told newsmen here today.
He was met after the swearing-in of the Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) councillors at Menara Bandaraya MBSP here today.
Last October, it was reported that construction of the Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway was expected to begin this year. Chow had said that the project was expected to be completed in 2029.
When tabling the 2025 Budget, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the implementation of the Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway project. The Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway project was one of the main items on Penang's "wish list" for Putrajaya in the 2025 Budget.
Elaborating, Chow said the construction of the Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway was expected to take at least five years, with the funding to be provided this year.
"Previously, the allocation for the project was said to be RM2.7 billion. Now, we need to wait for the official announcement from the Works Ministry. For this project, it may involve Plus (PlusMalaysia Berhad) as it will be built on the North-South Expressway.
"Large-scale projects like the Juru-Sungai Dua Elevated Highway and the Perak Water Supply Project in Penang, which I have been pushing for, are all becoming a reality. They take several years to implement. These projects have been approved and are being rolled out in stages," he added, emphasising that these projects were for the benefit of the people.