It will be held at Dewan Sri Pinang at Light Street here and will begin from 2pm to 4.30pm. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow will be present.
The PTMP is the state government’s plan to build a series of highways and transit lines to alleviate the traffic congestion problem.
It will be financed by the creation of three artificial islands down south, which would be later sold to interested parties.
Penang will first pursue the 19.5km PIL 1 highway, which will begin near Gurney Drive and end near the second bridge in the south.
At the same time, it wants to build a Light Rail Transit (LRT) from Komtar to Bayan Lepas in a north to south direction on the island.
However, both projects have come under intense scrutiny and criticism, from unrealistic population projections to environmental concerns.
Among the main concerns of the PIL 1 project is a four section tunnel to be drilled and blasted using 4,000kg of explosives through the Penang Hill range.
The state said the tunnel was necessary to spare a township from being wiped out and the explosives to be used are safe.
The PTMP is separate from another mega project, the undersea tunnel and three main roads project.
The “three main roads” (also called three paired roads) project involves highways from Air Itam to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (5.7km), from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (10.53km), and from Jalan Pangkor-Gurney Drive junction to Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (4.1km).
The 7.2km undersea tunnel will connect George Town’s Jalan Pangkor to Bagan Ajam in Butterworth on the mainland. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2023. It’s feasibility study remains at 96%.
The overall cost of the two projects (tunnel and roads) was reported to be RM6.3 billion.
For the three main roads project, the Department of Environment (DoE) had given an approval for one of the roads last year, which will cut through the hills of Tanjung Bungah and Teluk Bahang. This is despite objections from the residents nearby.
Construction of the said road, the North Coast Paired Road, has yet to begin as the Penang government has yet to sign a commencement of work order. The contractors have reportedly said they planned to begin next year.