SAFETY STUDY ON ROAD ORDERED
Penang govt wants study on Jalan Batu Ferringhi stretch following landslide that killed four
THE state government has ordered the Public Works Department to carry out a safety study along the entire 15km stretch of Jalan Batu Ferringhi yesterday, following the collapse of a retaining wall at a holiday resort that killed four Myanmar construction workers.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the study would focus on the slope structures above and below the road, to ensure it was safe for use.
“Since Jalan Batu Ferringhi is a very important road and the only one connecting Tanjung Bungah to Batu Ferringhi and Teluk Bahang on the northern tip of the island, a safety study is warranted.
“If there is any safety issues along the stretch, then immediate remedial works should be carried out so that the safety of road users is not compromised,” he said at his office yesterday.
Chow believed the study, when completed, would make the necessary mitigation recommendations to ensure the road would be safe for use.
In the 9.25pm incident on Tuesday, four Myanmar workers were killed when tonnes of earth came crashing down, along with a giant root, at the site where the retention wall was being built.
Chow said the incident had affected a portion of the road surface, and the Public Works Department
was addressing the issue.
To facilitate repair works, which were expected to take between three and four weeks, one of two lanes along the 50m stretch would be closed to motorists.
Sheet piles have been put in place as a temporary mitigation measure to prevent further erosion.
Chow, however, gave an assurance that the road was safe for use during repair works.
“This will cause discomfort to motorists, but we need to take action.”
He said the state executive council had received a report from the Public Works Department and Penang Island City Council with regard to Tuesday’s incident.
“Based on the report, the incident happened on private land, just next to Jalan Batu Ferringhi. The landowner had engaged the foreign workers to rebuild a retention wall as the old wall had shown signs of cracks. The council, however, did not receive any application for the works to be carried out.
“While the landowner had, of his own accord, tried to fix the issue, he did not engage professionals to do the job. This is possibly one of the reasons why the incident happened.
“Digging works caused the soil structure to weaken until it fell and buried the foreign workers.”
Chow called for a thorough probe by the Public Works Department, the council, police and Department of Occupational Safety and Health so that action could be taken against those responsible for the incident.
“We will leave it to the council to issue the orders.
“We want to send a clear message that the state will act against those who flout rules and regulations.”
Chow said the land and property owners should carry out remedial works by engaging engineering experts during this time.
State Public Works Department director Shahabuddin M. Muhayidin said Tuesday’s incident was caused by unauthorised earthworks at the bottom of the slope, causing it to give way.
He said immediate repair works were being done and measures had been taken to prevent further erosion.