Air Itam Bypass Road 35 Completed Will Be Ready By 2025 Says Cm

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Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow (fourth from left) at the Air Itam bypass road construction site today. (Facebook pic)GEORGE TOWN: Construction of a bypass road connecting Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway is currently 35% complete, said Chow Kon Yeow.
The Penang chief minister said land acquisition for 75 lots, involving private, state and federal lands, was under way.
“We anticipate that the contractors can complete the project by the end of January 2025.
“This is based on the steady progress made thus far and the acquisition of most land lots,” he told reporters during a site visit.
Chow said contractors were installing silt traps, sediment basins and earth drains to reduce environmental impact.
The construction site for the bypass at Bukit Gambir, where a twin tunnel is expected to be drilled and blasted. (CM’s office pic)Project owner Penang Infrastructure Corporation said the present work included bored piling, construction of viaduct structures, slope stabilisation and road widening.
This 5km project, costing RM851 million, is part of the larger RM6.3 billion undersea tunnel and three main roads project.
The bypass road will have four interchanges — at Lebuhraya Thean Teik, Jalan Bukit Gambier, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (George Town-bound).
This project marks the first of two endeavours incorporating tunnels, the other being the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1) highway, which has received approval. Work on PIL1 has yet to commence.
About 2km of the bypass road will consist of twin tunnels passing through a hill range between Green Lane and Bandar Baru Air Itam.
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd, the contractor responsible for the project, has announced that three twin tunnels will be created using the drill-and-blast method, progressing at a rate of 3m per blast. - FMT

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