Malaysia eyes Japanese loan for million dollar bridge: Report

Malaysia eyes Japanese loan for million dollar bridge: Report

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Work on a 2.3 billion ringgit (US$605 million) bridge in Malaysia's northern Penang state is expected to begin in 2003 once funding from Japan is secured, a report said Wednesday.

The 9.2 kilometer (5.75 miles) bridge-cum-tunnel, based on the Tokyo Bay Bridge design would connect Bagan Jermal on Penang island's northern tip with Butterworth on the mainland.

The idea of the second link was mooted eight years ago to ease congestion on the Penang Bridge built by the Koreans in 1985. About 90,000 vehicles use the existing bridge daily.

The Star newspaper quoted Works Minister S. Samy Vellu as saying that the project would begin once Malaysia obtained a loan from Japan.

"We have completed the design and feasibility study and the land reclamation work will take a while before we can start work," he said.

Samy Vellu said two man-made islands would be created to act as transition sites for the bridge to descend into a 2.2 kilometer dual-carriageway tunnel beneath the seabed.

According to the preliminary design by HSS Integrated and Yachiyo Engineering Co Ltd of Japan, the 10 metre high tunnel would be submerged four metres beneath the seabed to allow ships to ply the 15 metre deep North Channel to Swettenham Pier on Penang island.