Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said eight out of 10 projects for which Penang had applied under the 12MP’s fifth rolling plan are currently being considered by the economy ministry.
A handout to the media from the chief minister’s office listed PIL 1 as one of the eight projects being considered, along with another underpass road project connecting Mount Erskine to Jalan Burma, which was also opposed by civil society groups.
The 19.5km PIL 1 is a proposed highway that would tunnel through the hill ranges of Penang Island connecting Gurney Drive to Bayan Lepas.
Priced at RM7.5 billion in 2019, the project was widely panned by environmentalists who said it could destroy the island’s sensitive ecosystem. Despite receiving environmental approval, the project did not take off due to a lack of funds.
“I hope that our big family at the federal level will pay attention to projects from Penang because they are significant projects like road construction … and other projects of importance,” Chow said in an address to state civil servants at Dewan Sri Pinang today.
The other projects under consideration under the 12MP’s final rolling plan include a new Type 2 health clinic in Bayan Lepas, a Sungai Juru conservation project, as well as beach erosion prevention efforts in Batu Ferringhi and Tanjung Bungah.
The six-lane PIL 1 is meant to comprise 7.6km of elevated roads and 10.1km of roads tunnelling through the Penang Hill range.
The tunnelled portion will pass beneath Penang Hill, Paya Terubong, Sungai Ara, the Penang Hill funicular railway, and City Park (formerly Youth Park).
Ahead of the environment department approval given in 2019 with 56 conditions, then federal minister Yeo Bee Yin admitted that the government’s decision on the highway might not satisfy supporters or opponents, calling it “a grey area” requiring a balance between development and environmental concerns.
Penang Forum wrote a 39-page objection to the project the year before, saying it ran afoul of environmental standards as it carried sinking risks from tunnelling through Penang Hill.
The group also said the highway would be wasteful, as its environmental impact assessment report showed that it would be congested within years of its construction.
Soil scientist Kam Suan Pheng – one of 31 professionals who wrote the objection – said PIL 1’s alignment through the Penang Hill range would go through three “water-seeped” fault lines, which could cause its collapse.
This was denied by proponents of the project, who said the engineering methods used would ensure the safety of the tunnels.
In defending the project at the time, the Penang government cited professional planning and 80% public support for the highway, which would cut travel time from Gurney Drive to the airport to 15 minutes, linking key areas like Air Itam, Paya Terubong, and Sungai Ara.
The 5km RM851 million Air Itam-Lim Chong Eu bypass is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in two years.