Chow said hearings had already begun to work out the compensation and relocation plans for affected small businesses.

“For unlicensed businesses in Sg Tiram (in Bayan Lepas) and Gelugor, we are working to ensure all these (issues) are resolved before major construction work begins at these locations,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a dialogue held by the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce here.

Chow said the relocation efforts would likely conclude by January, after which project contractors could start construction work.

On Oct 2, LRT project contractor SRS LRT Sdn Bhd told the public to expect heavier traffic congestion from the middle of January, with a key road on the island to be reduced to fewer lanes to make way for the project.

The firm’s project director Adil Putra Ahmad said a 2km-section of Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah near Bayan Baru and the Free Industrial Zone, which links the airport and nearby factories, will see the three lanes reduced to two.

The roads to be narrowed are from the Jalan Kampung Jawa-Jalan Mahsuri junction to the Jalan Mayang Pasir junction.

The 29.5km Mutiara Line will feature 21 elevated stations strategically located across Penang island.

One of these – the Macallum station – will serve as an interchange, connecting both the Komtar station on the island and the Penang Sentral station in Butterworth via a 5.78km cross-channel link.

The bridge will rise to 62m at its midspan to accommodate the passage of ships.