The RM33 million Mount Erskine underpass in Penang will be built as a tunnel rather than an open excavation of the road, a redesign meant to keep four busy roads open through construction, according to Penang Property Talk. The original plan would have forced major closures on Jalan Mount Erskine, Jalan Gottlieb, Jalan Burma and Jalan Bagan Jermal.
Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Aiman Athirah Sabu said those closures would have drawn more complaints from motorists. “If we close the roads, there will be even more complaints,” she said during a Dewan Rakyat special chamber session on 15 October, replying to a question from Bukit Bendera MP Syerleena Abdul Rashid, FMT reported.
The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) oversees the project and has completed land acquisition and appointed consultants to prepare the design. The scheme was announced at an estimated RM25 million in the federal budget tabled in 2025, and the state later raised the ask to RM33 million after a meeting with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in March 2025, records EdgeProp.my.
Funding arrived in two stages. The federal government released RM5 million for preliminary works this year, then approved the full RM33 million on 9 June after MBPP finished the preliminary work ahead of schedule. Aiman said the project has not been delayed and remains in the technical preparation phase, which she said is critical to ensure construction safety and quality.
The timetable now runs from design to opening. Design is due for completion in December 2026, the tender opens in February 2027 and closes at the end of March, the contractor is appointed in June and site possession follows in July. Completion is targeted for November 2030.
The crossing will measure about 780m long and 8m wide, linking Jalan Mount Erskine with Jalan Burma. It has drawn objections from affected landowners: Mount Erskine resident Charles Byrne opposed the acquisition of part of his land in June 2025, while state executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari has defended the project as a way to ease chronic congestion on the island. Transport groups have questioned whether the underpass offers a lasting solution to that traffic.
The scheme is aimed at the Tanjung Tokong and Tanjung Bungah corridor, where congestion builds through the day. Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said in August 2025 that road upgrades and public transport improvements need to proceed together to address it, in remarks carried by the state government’s Buletin Mutiara.
