Get public comment on the tunnel, said Penang

Penang submarine tunnel project will cost more to build and maintain than a bridge, says a transport expert. A transport consultant urged the Penang government to publish the feasibility report for its submarine tunnel project to allow experts to comment.

The feasibility study will be completed in September or October.

Goh Bok Yen, a 30-year veteran in the transportation consultation, noted that the government had promised to be transparent with megaprojects. "So let's be transparent with this one," he said about the third proposed link between Penang Island and the mainland.

The Government stated that the feasibility study of the project and the detailed design would cost RM 962 million

Goh told the FMT that reactions from the public, especially experts, would help the government to determine it would be better to build a bridge than to dig a tunnel

. reference to a study comparing the advantages and disadvantages of building a submarine tunnel instead of a bridge as well as determining the optimal time for the development of a third link.

"If you build it too early, you might not As soon as you expect, and if you wait too long, it will mean a burden for people.So the question is when it should be built.In five years "Ten years?"

But he said the biggest question was whether the tunnel was really necessary.

He noted that underwater tunnels around the world, such as the Cross-Harbor Tunnel in Hong Kong and England and France, were built under the shipping channels with heavy shipping traffic.

This was not so with the proposed location for the Penang Tunnel, he added. "In addition, the design of a bridge can be modified to accommodate ships."

He noted that an underwater tunnel would be more expensive to build than a bridge and more expensive to maintain and operate.

need lighting only at night, "he said." And he already has natural ventilation. It also makes the environment greener because you use fewer resources.

"In case of an accident, like a car catching fire, a bridge would be easier to access for emergency services if you need boats or helicopters.

He also said that it would be easier to perform repairs or electrical work on a bridge and that it would be possible to expand the structure if necessary.

"At this point, it is difficult to feel convinced of the need In 1965, the contract of RM 6.3 billion for a project to improve traffic to Penang, including the tunnel, was Awarded to a consortium in 2013.

] Recently, Chow said that his administration was ready to study a proposal for a bridge as an alternative to the tunnel.

Penang ready to study the alternative option for sub-tunnel marine