‘2ND BRIDGE FAILED TO EASE TRAFFIC WOES’
More traffic on first bridge despite 2nd bridge’s completion in 2014, says report
THE Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge, built in 2014 to ease traffic congestion on the first Penang Bridge, has yet to fully meet its goal.
This was the finding of the first series of the Auditor General’s 2017 Report, released yesterday.
The report said traffic on the first bridge increased between 2.4 per cent and 3.8 per cent from 2014 to 2016.
“The average daily traffic reported on the first bridge increased between 78,980 and 83,961 from 2014 to 2016.
“This is because of the location of the first bridge, which is near Seberang Prai Utara and Seberang Prai Tengah, with a high population concentration of 369,340 in 2016.
“The first bridge is near major towns, such as Prai, Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam, compared with the second bridge in Batu Kawan and Seberang Prai Selatan, with only 209,020 people in 2016,” the auditor general said in its audit of the second bridge operator, Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd (JKSB).
The report said the 20 per cent rebate offered by the first bridge concession, PLUS Malaysia Bhd (Plus), to registered Penangites, resulted in more people using the bridge.
It said the second bridge was further from towns, making it less attractive to road users.
The first bridge registered 29.57 million traffic in 2013, 28.83 million in 2014 and 29.93 million in 2015.
The second bridge had 3.43 million traffic in 2014 and 4.73 million in 2015.
The feedback received by JKSB on Feb 7 said the opening of a rest area in the fourth quarter was expected to increase traffic on the second bridge in stages.
It said the opening of the Bayan Lepas Expressway, which was connected to the second bridge, would result in a 20 per cent increase in traffic.
The second bridge, built at a cost of RM4.74 billion, spans 24km from Batu Kawan on the mainland to Batu Maung on the island.
The report said JKSB was incapable of fulfilling its payment obligation and depended on assistance from the government.
It found that defects on the piled embankment of the bridge, identified back in 2016, had yet to be acted upon.
It noted the poor work quality by the contractors.