THE North Coastal Paired Road (NCPR) project, known as Package 1 under the Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP), is set to commence soon following the Penang government’s approval of a new alignment and commercial terms.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced that the project will serve as an alternative route from Tanjong Bungah to Teluk Bahang, improving connectivity and reducing congestion along Penang’s northern coastline while also acting as a catalyst for socio-economic development in Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang.
“The new alignment has been strategically designed to avoid densely populated residential areas, including Jalan Chee Seng, Jalan Chan Siew Teong, Marvista, Beverly Hills, and surrounding neighbourhoods,” Chow said at the press conference.
“The project will span 10.61 km, consisting of an 8.41km main road and a 2.2km coastal section. It will begin at Jalan Lembah Permai (Tanjong Bungah) and run along the coastline, passing the Floating Mosque before reconnecting with the main road near Shamrock. The route will then extend through Batu Ferringhi before ending at Teluk Bahang.
“From the floating mosque to Teluk Bahang, the travel time will be significantly reduced to just 7 minutes from the current 30-45 minutes.”
Once approvals are in place, the project, undertaken by Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd (CZC), is expected to take five years, with construction potentially starting in 2026 and concluding by 2031.
He added that the project is estimated to cost RM2.43 billion, with an additional RM500 million allocated for land acquisition. It will take six months for the detailed design to be finalised. The project will also require an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Amendment for the coastal section to accommodate the new alignment, estimated to take 1.5 years.
According to Chow, the Penang government will finance 4.88km of the road from Jalan Tanjong Bungah to Jalan Sungai Emas through a land swap agreement with CZC, while CZC will self-finance the remaining 5.73 km from Jalan Sungai Emas to Teluk Bahang, with costs to be offset through future development projects in Penang.
It was also revealed that NCPR will feature several key junctions along the route, namely Jalan Sungai Emas & Jalan Sungai Satu, Jalan Batu Ferringhi (Chin Farm Traffic Light Intersection) and Jalan Teluk Bahang.
Also present were State Secretary Datuk Zulkifli Long, state Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari, Penang Infrastructure Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Seri Farizan Darus, CZC director Lim Hee Khoon, CZC chief executive officer Hajah Rohana Shariff, and CZC president (project & development) Lim Hooi Kooi.
As a matter of interest, Package 2, known as the Air Itam – Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway Bypass, was the first package to begin construction and has now achieved over 73% work progress.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Siti Nuratikah Rahmat
Video by Law Suun Ting