The Ayer Itam-Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway bypass has reached 93% completion, and the remaining works are due to finish by April 2027, Penang Property Talk reported.
Paya Terubong assemblyman Wong Hon Wai said the project team recently held its 60th monthly progress meeting, which he has attended since he was elected in August 2023. At the Farlim end, the deck slab has been completed, while work continues on the parapet and reinforced earth wall near Lintang Angsana. Road widening along Lintang Angsana has started to make way for construction of that wall and is expected to run through October.
The works are expected to affect Rapid Penang bus services, because the road will have limited space for buses to turn, and Rapid Penang is expected to announce any route changes or alternative arrangements separately. Two issues still need coordination with outside agencies: approval from the Malaysian Highway Authority for the proposed left-in, left-out arrangement, and the relocation of Indah Water Konsortium pipes near the Farlim viaduct.
The RM850 million project is Package Two of the undersea tunnel and paired roads project, a 6km toll-free link from Lebuhraya Thean Teik in Farlim to the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway through elevated viaducts, tunnels and ground-level roads. It was originally targeted for 2024 and has since received two extensions of time, with the latest completion date set for 12 April 2027, as The Star noted. The bypass is expected to shorten travel for about 300,000 residents in the area.
The Penang government has agreed to auction a 2.42-hectare plot of state land to help Consortium Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd raise funds for the remaining works. Wong said the land had been identified earlier, and that instead of the company selling it directly, the state will run an open auction as part of the project’s financing structure, designed to meet the contractor’s cash-flow needs without imposing a toll on the bypass.
The state will offer the six-acre Plot 7A in Bandar Tanjung Pinang at public auction on 7 October, with a reserve price of RM313.632 million, or RM1,200 per square foot, according to The Edge Malaysia. The sale could raise more than RM300 million, and profits will be shared between the state government and the contractor.
Zairil Khir Johari, the state executive councillor for infrastructure, transport and digital, put construction at 92.46% as at 31 August and financial progress at 81.69% in the same statement. The project is funded through a land-swap arrangement, with plots transferred against completed work claims instead of cash payments.
