Jambatan Pulau Pinang ( Penang Bridge )

Penang Bridge (Jambatan Pulau Pinang in Malay)  is a dual carriageway toll bridge connects Gelugor on the island ofPenang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia on the Malay Peninsula. The bridge is also linked to the North-South Expressway in Prai and Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway in Penang. It was officially opened to traffic on September 14, 1985. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 km (8.4 miles), making it the longest bridge in Malaysia as and the fourth-longest in Southeast Asia. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd (PBSB) is the concession holder which manages it. The bridge was designed by Penang resident, Professor Chin Fung Kee, a well known civil engineer.

Before 1985, transportation between the island and the mainland was solely dependent on the state-owned Penang Ferry Servicethat runs between Butterworth and George Town. Toll fees is only paid when heading to the island. There is no charge for leaving the island.

Currently, Penang Bridge handles 65,000 vehicles daily and has a capacity of handling 85,000 vehicles daily. It has been expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes to accommodate increasing traffic on the bridge. A proposal for second bridge, the Penang Second Bridge, has been approved by the Malaysian federal government and included as one of the Ninth Malaysia Plan national projects. Construction work of the new Penang Second Bridge began in November 2008, and the target completion date is year 2013.

Recently, Penang Bridge was assign with route number .

Route background

The Kilometre Zero of the expressway starts at Perai Interchange of the Tun Hussein Onn Highway.

[edit]History

[edit]Chronology

• Early 1970s - The idea to build a bridge linking Seberang Perai to Penang Island was suggested by the late Tun Abdul Razak, the second Prime Minister of Malaysia.
• Late 1970s - Penang Bridge was planned during the term of third Prime Minister, Tun Hussein Onn.
• 23 July 1981 - Works Minister S. Samy Vellu announced that Penang Bridge, Penang would be constructed using the cable-stayed concrete girder of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
• 1982 - Construction of Penang Bridge officially began
• 3 August 1985 - Official opening of Penang Bridge by fourth Prime Minister, Dato Seri Dr Mahathir Mohammad.
• 14 September 1985 - Penang Bridge is officially opened to traffic.

[edit]Current developments

[edit]Penang Bridge Widening Project

When the bridge was originally constructed, the central span had six lanes, while the rest of the bridge had four lanes. There was an ongoing project to have the entire bridge widened to six lanes. Work on the project began on January 2008 and was completed in late 2009.

Penang Bridge Widening Project on You Tube

[edit]Bridge specifications^[1]

Overall Length: 13.5 km (8.4 miles)

Penang Bridge main span viewed from the carriageway.

• Length Over Water: 8.4 km (5.2 miles)
• Penang Island Viaduct & Approach: 1.5 km (0.9 miles)
• Prai Approach: 3.6 km (2.2 miles)
• Carriageway: 3 lanes per carriageway
• Height of Tower Above Water: 101.5 m
• Height of Bridge Above Water: 33 m
• Main Span: 225 m
• End Span: 107.5 m
• Other Span: 40 m
• Speed limit: 80 km/h
• Maximum Gradient: 3.0%

[edit]Features

The bridge has an SOS emergency feature and traffic CCTV. The Gelugor Complex Interchange is the largest highway interchange in Malaysia. The bridge has a Tenaga Nasional TNB's 132kV power cable.

[edit]Tolls

[edit]Overview

Since 1985, Penang Bridge has been a tolled bridge. The first concession was a government body, the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA). 20% discount on toll rate was initially given to the loyal and regular customer of the bridge since the operation of the bridge by MHA from 1985 to 1994. During the period, majority of regular commuters from the government agencies, manufacturers and transporters purchased the discount vouchers in bulk from MHA and used them at Penang Bridge Toll Plaza. Fees is charged one way, when enter the bridge from the mainland end towards Penang Island. There is no fees imposed for mainland-bound motorists coming from the island. Since 1994, toll collection has been undertaken by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd.