This assurance came following a query by an NGO, Citizen Awareness Chant Group (Chant), on whether the company was engaging those staying along the proposed alignment as the reports made public were too technical in nature.
In a statement to FMT, Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC) said it had engaged all stakeholders and had widely advertised its environmental impact assessment (EIA) viewing sessions in several locations in Penang.
“The EIA report is indeed technical in nature but it is guided and regulated by Department of Environment (DoE) regulations.”
It said the EIA reports were put up for public display and review at several locations, including Komtar and at the DOE’s office.
“Announcements and notifications were made in the newspapers too. As a matter of fact, the duration for the public review was extended at the request of NGOs, environmental groups and the general public,” CZC said.
“The EIA report was conditionally approved by the DoE in November 2017. The conditional approval was also widely reported in the press.”
DoE had given the nod for the project, with 59 conditions imposed on the contractors. These conditions have yet to be made public.
The roads in question are three bypasses from the suburbs to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway (LCE), which is a coastal expressway hugging the eastern coast of the island and connecting the two bridges to the mainland.
The state government said another highway, the proposed 20km Pan Island Link 1, will help reduce traffic on LCE.
The three roads will run from Tanjung Bungah to Teluk Bahang (10.53km), Air Itam to LCE (5.7km), and the Jalan Pangkor-Gurney Drive junction to LCE (4.1km).
Work on the Air Itam bypass will begin in March next year and is expected to take three years to complete. There has been no announcement of a time frame for the other two bypasses.
According to a Bernama report on Sept 3, the Air Itam road will be built by Buildmarque Construction Sdn Bhd, a 50:50 joint venture between Vertice Bhd and Vizione Holdings Bhd, at a cost of RM815 million.
Vertice Bhd is involved in the project through its subsidiary, CZC, which won an open tender by the Penang government to build the undersea tunnel and three roads, worth a total of RM6.3 billion.
The proposed undersea tunnel, connecting Butterworth and George Town, is being studied for feasibility. If approved, construction will begin after 2030.