The 5km bypass road being built from Air Itam to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway near the Penang Bridge exit was originally slated to be built as an elevated road.
However, it was switched to a system of tunnels and viaducts on the Bukit Batu Lanchang and Bukit Hijau hill range, which separates Island Glades and Farlim on the island, when the project kicked off in late 2021.
“Don’t you need a new environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the tunnels? If there is a change in plan from road to tunnel, was it a proper lawful change?” asked Penang Forum member Khoo Salma Nasution during a press conference here.
In an immediate comment, state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said a supplementary EIA for the tunnels was being prepared. He said the earlier EIA approval was given in 2017, with an environmental management plan approved last October.
“The tunnelling work will only begin after all the safety requirements are met. This is to ensure the impact of the project is minimal for the benefit of all users of the bypass when it is completed,” he said.
Khoo was also concerned about how close the road being built was to 17 apartments on the route, with some as close as 50m. Khoo said given the tall slopes where the road was being constructed, the buffer between the road and the homes should be more than 200m.
Khoo said heavy rain on the hill range was also a concern as rain maps showed at least four major rain seasons this year compared with two last year.
She added that with three twin tunnels to be drilled and blasted across the range, which comprises 65% of the road, residents were worried about the potential of landslides.
“Rain maps show that high volume and high-velocity rain are expected to flow down these barren slopes and exposed boulders,” she said.
“The cleared hill should be planted with grass, and earth drains constructed, or else we will have a major ‘teh tarik’ mudflow.”
Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZCSB), which is undertaking the project, said the three twin tunnels would be bored using the drill-and-blast method, moving 3m per blast.
Each tunnel will be a dual carriageway in a single direction and vary in length because of the curving route and geographical factors. Six viaducts will connect the tunnels at their ends, as the twin tunnels are split into three sections.
Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow had previously said the tunnels and viaducts, which were not included in the original plan, were environmentally friendly. The RM851 million project started in late 2021 and is expected to be completed by January 2025.