Penang Bridge
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| Penang Bridge Jambatan Pulau Pinang 槟威大桥 பினாங்கு பாலம் | |
 Penang Bridge in red | |
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| Route information | |
| Length | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |
| Existed | 1970s–present |
| History | Opened 3 August 1985[citation needed], inaugurated 14 September 1985[1] |
| Major junctions | |
| East end |  North–South Expressway Northern Route North–South Expressway Northern Route and  FT 3112 Jalan Perusahan Perai at Perai, Seberang Perai |
| West end |  FT 3113 Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and  FT 6 Gelugor Highway at Gelugor, Penang Island |
| Location | |
| Country | Malaysia |
| Primary destinations | George Town, Bayan Lepas, Perai, Butterworth, Bukit Mertajam |
| Highway system | |
Penang Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 5°21′14″N 100°21′09″E / 5.353863°N 100.352554°E |
| Carries | Motor vehicles |
| Crosses | Penang Strait, Malaysia |
| Locale | Penang |
| Official name | Penang Bridge |
| Maintained by | PLUS Expressways |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cable-stayed bridge Box girder bridge |
| Total length | 13.5 km (8.4 mi) |
| Width | -- |
| Longest span | 225 meters |
| History | |
| Designer | Primary Government of Malaysia Malaysian Highway Authority Secondary  Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company (Korea) LtdUnited Engineers Malaysia Berhad |
| Constructed by | Multiple
|
| Construction start | 12 April 1982[1] |
| Construction end | 13 April 1985[1] |
| Opened | 3 August 1985 |
| Inaugurated | 14 September 1985[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Toll | Depends on vehicle type (island-bound only) |
| Location | |
 | |
The E36 Penang Bridge is a 13.5-kilometre (8.4-mile)[2][3] dual carriageway toll bridge and controlled-access highway in the Malaysian state of Penang. It connects Perai on the mainland side of the state with Gelugor on the island, crossing the Penang Strait. The bridge was the first and, until 2014, only road connection between the peninsula and the island. It is the second-longest bridge over water in Malaysia, with a length over water of 8.4 kilometres (5.2 miles).[3]
Penang Bridge was inaugurated on 14 September 1985.[1] The current concession holder and maintainer is PLUS Expressways. Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd was the concession holder before it was merged with the current concessionaire.[when?]
History
[edit]Chronology
[edit]| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Early 1970s | The idea to build a bridge linking Seberang Perai to Penang Island was suggested by Prime Minister Abdul Razak Hussein and Chief Minister of Penang Lim Chong Eu. |
| 23 July 1981 | Works Minister Samy Vellu announced that Penang Bridge would be constructed using the cable-stayed concrete girders of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge instead of the steel-tied arch in the style of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.[4] Speaking after his first cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the government had picked a contractor for the job, though he declined to specify who it was.[5] |
| 1982 | Construction of Penang Bridge officially began. |
| 3 August 1985 | Official opening of Penang Bridge by Prime Minister Mahathir.[6] |
| 14 September 1985 | Penang Bridge is officially opened to traffic.[7] |
Bridge widening
[edit]When the bridge was initially constructed, the central span had six lanes, while the rest of the bridge had four. Widening of the entire bridge to six lanes began in January 2008 and was completed in late 2009.
Features
[edit]Penang Bridge has an overall length of 13.5 km (8.4 mi): 8.4 km (5.2 mi) above water, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) on Penang Island, and 3.6 km (2.2 mi) in Prai. The 255 m (837 ft) main span is 33 m (108 ft) above water, held up by four 101.5 m (333 ft) towers. The carriageway has three lanes in each direction and a speed limit of 70–80 km/h (43–50 mph).[8]
The bridge has an emergency lay-by equipped with an SOS phone.[citation needed] Traffic CCTV and VMS are installed at various locations.[citation needed] The bridge carries a Tenaga Nasional 132kV power cable.[citation needed]
Tolls
[edit]
Since 1985, Penang Bridge has been tolled. Fees are charged only when entering from the mainland and travelling towards Penang Island. Since 1994, the tolls have been collected by a private concession company, Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd, which has become a member of PLUS Malaysia Berhad. Beginning 1 January 2019, toll collection for motorcyclists, which used to be RM1.40, was abolished for both Penang bridges.[9][10][11]
Electronic toll collection
[edit]As part of an initiative to facilitate faster transactions at the Perai toll plaza, they have been exclusively conducted via electronic toll collection with the use of Touch 'n Go cards and SmartTAGs since 9 September 2015.[citation needed]
Fares
[edit](Since 1 February 2020)
| Class | Types of vehicles | Rate (in Malaysian ringgit (RM)) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Motorcycles (vehicles with two axles and two wheels) |
Free |
| 2 | Cars & motorcycles with sidecars (vehicles with two axles and three or four wheels (including station wagons and commercial vehicles)) |
5.74 |
| 3A | Vans and & buses (vehicles with two axles and four wheels (excluding lorries)) |
9.84 |
| 3B | Lorries (vehicles with two axles and four wheels (excluding vans and buses)) |
12.00 |
| 4A | Vans & buses (vehicles with two axles and five or six wheels (excluding trucks)) |
20.50 |
| 4B | Large trucks (vehicles with two axles and five or six wheels (excluding vans and buses)) |
25.00 |
| 5A | Buses (vehicles with three axles (excluding trucks)) |
36.90 |
| 5B | Large trucks (vehicles with three axles (excluding buses)) |
45.00 |
| 6 | Large trucks (vehicles with four axles) |
60.00 |
| 7 | Large trucks (vehicles with five or more axles) |
75.00 |
Interchange list
[edit] | This section is missing kilometre posts for junctions. |
The entire route is located in Penang.
| District | Location | km | Exit | Name | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Seberang Perai | Perai | 0.0 | 161 | Penang Bridge |   North–South Expressway Northern Route / AH2 (North–South Expressway Northern Route) – Bukit Kayu Hitam, Alor Setar, Gerik East, Butterworth, Juru, Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur FT 3112 (Jalan Perusahaan Perai) – Perai, Perai Industrial Area | |
| | Penang Bridge toll plaza (barrier system; westbound only) | |||||
| Central Seberang Perai–Northeast Penang Island boundary | — | | Penang Bridge over the Penang Strait | |||
| Northeast Penang Island | Gelugor | 13.5 | — | — | FT 3113 (Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway) – (Batu Maung), Bayan Lepas, (Penang International Airport), George Town FT 6 (Gelugor Highway) – Gelugor, Bayan Lepas, (Penang International Airport), George Town | |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||
Commemorative events
[edit]
Commemorative postage stamps to mark the opening of Penang Bridge were issued by the Malaysian Postal Services Department (now Pos Malaysia) on 15 September 1985.[12] The denominations for these stamps were 20 sen, 40 sen, and RM 1.00.
Incidents and accidents
[edit]Over the years of its operation, the bridge has been a frequent spot for road accidents[13] and suicides.
On 20 January 2019, two cars travelling mainland-bound collided, with one plunging into the Strait of Malacca.[14] A search operation was launched for the submerged car, and the victim was later found dead.[15]
In popular culture
[edit]Penang Bridge became a subject matter in Lat's 1987 comic book Lat and Gang. On page 58, Lat illustrates various situations taking place on the bridge.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Bridge info". Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd. Malaysia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "Penang Bridge". PLUS Malaysia Berhad. Malaysia. Archived from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ a b "Bridge details". Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd. Malaysia. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
- ^ "Jambatan Pulau Pinang telan $530 juta" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 20 November 1981. p. 1.
- ^ "What Penang Bridge will look like..." The Straits Times. 24 July 1981.
- ^ "Setelah 45 tahun kini jadi kenyataan" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 1 August 1985. p. 4. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
- ^ "Jambatan Pulau Pinang dirasmi" (in Malay). Berita Harian. 16 September 1985. p. 6.
- ^ "bridge details". Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2007.
- ^ "Motorcyclists rejoice as they don't have to pay toll now". thestar.com.my. 3 November 2018.
- ^ "No more bridge tolls for motorcyclists in Penang". Malay Mail. Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2022.
- ^ Basyir, Mohamed (January 2019). "Toll charges gone at Penang bridges, but some motorcyclists still taking ferries". nst.com.my.
- ^ "The Penang Bridge". Stamps of Malaysia. 14 May 2008. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
- ^ "Penang Bridge SUV Accident – It was the 5th Time!". 22 January 2019.
- ^ "Car plunges into sea after collision on Penang Bridge". The Star. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ "Missing SUV Driver that plunged into sea believed to be college student". The Star. 20 January 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Lat (1987). "Penang Bridge". Lat and Gang. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Berita Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 978-967-969-157-3.
External links
[edit]
 Main bridges and causeway in Malaysia | |||||
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| Planned projects | |||||
italics indicated the project is under construction. | |||||
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