EIA for Penang's Pan Island Link 1 approved
Penang today announced the conditional approval of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1), one of the components of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the approval was conveyed via a letter from the Environment Department on April 10...
Penang today announced the conditional approval of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the Pan Island Link 1 (PIL1), one of the components of the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the approval was conveyed via a letter from the Environment Department on April 10.
The letter states that DOE received the EIA report on Jan 2. Its EIA Technical Review Committee found that the report fulfilled the requirements of Section 34A (2) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
“Following the technical review, a revised EIA report was submitted to DOE by the consultant through the state on March 22, which was approved with 56 conditions,” Chow said at a press conference in Komtar today.
“With this approval in place, the state considers it a major milestone achieved in enabling the project to move on the ground.
“It is a momentous occasion for the state in its vision to address traffic conditions in Penang, namely, via initiatives to improve the transportation infrastructure."
Chow also said other necessary approvals would be sought from various agencies to commence the construction of PIL1, which is targeted for the middle of next year.
“It is the state’s commitment to ensuring that the project will be implemented by adhering to stringent DOE guidelines, with the CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) principles adopted at every level.
“While the state works on the next phase, which is the detailed design phase and appointing the best work package contractors through open tender, the state is still pursuing relevant approvals for the Bayan Lepas LRT and Penang South Reclamation (PSR) projects.
“These projects are equally important to thrust Penang into a growth momentum in the coming decades," he added.
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Asked to explain the DOE's conditional approval, Chow said the project consultant would now have to prepare an environmental management plan to address the 56 conditions.
Next phase of work
On the communities and structures likely to be affected by the construction of the highway, Chow said these would be carried out during the detailed design phase, in which plots for land acquisition and affected structures would be identified.
The chief minister also explained that the PSR will serve as a financing model for the highway.
While waiting for the PSR to be approved, he added, PIL1 project contractor SRS Consortium would come up with a bridging loan.
“Other than financing the PIL1, the PSR is also an important factor of the economic transformation plan for Penang, which includes the expansion of the Penang International Airport and the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone," he said.
As for the cost of PIL1, Chow noted that this could only be determined when the tender is called.
The 19.5km long PIL1 highway alignment will consist of 7.6km of viaduct sections, four tunnel sections totalling 10.1km, and embankment sections totalling 1.8km.
It will commence from Gurney Drive to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone IV area.
Six interchanges are proposed along the alignment to disperse traffic at strategic locations.
Maybe the money would be better off being spent on teaching Penangites how to drive in a civil, effective and legal manner
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