Teroka chairman Dr Muhammad Azrul Zabidi said the proposed construction of the undersea tunnel would not be able to resolve the traffic congestion in the long term.

Penang’s population is expected to reach three million by 2040.

Azrul said the undersea tunnel was not a sustainable project as the state already had two bridges connecting the island to the mainland.

“The undersea tunnel project is not worth the burden that will be borne by the people of the state and the destruction of the environment resulting from the Penang Transport Master Plan.

“Instead, the state government should focus on a low or medium-cost public transport system, such as a public bus network which plies the main routes and urban centre,” he said in a statement here today.

The 7.2km undersea tunnel project, costing RM6.3 billion, is part of the long-term four-phase plan to overcome the chronic traffic congestion in Penang. It is due to be completed in 2025.

– BERNAMA