No Road Closures At LRT Mutiara Line Work Sites During Festive Season

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 10 (Bernama) -- Main traffic lanes at the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Mutiara Line project construction sites here will not be closed throughout the festive season as a move to ease traffic congestion.

State Infrastructure, Transport and Digital Committee chairman Zairil Khir Johari said the project owner, MRT Corporation (MRTC), together with the main contractor SRS Consortium, had given assurances that disruptions to road users would be minimised, including during the Chinese New Year celebrations next week.

“Any construction works will only be carried out at night and not during peak hours, while for major festive seasons, construction activities are usually stopped temporarily for a day or two, depending on the contractor’s planning,” he told reporters after attending the Penang Nature-Based Climate Adaptation Award programme here today.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had recently instructed contractors involved in the construction of the LRT Mutiara Line project to continuously implement traffic mitigation measures to prevent severe congestion in construction areas, especially as works intensify across the island.

Meanwhile, when commenting on the project’s Traffic Management Plan (TMP), Zairil said it was prepared by MRTC, and its implementation is constantly monitored and updated monthly in line with the construction phases at the site.

The LRT Mutiara Line project involves the construction of a 29.5-kilometre route with 21 strategic stations, designed to enhance connectivity between Penang Island and the mainland, thereby reducing road congestion and improving public transport accessibility.

On a separate issue, Zairil dismissed allegations that a public park land in Seri Tanjung Pinang, Tanjong Tokong here had been placed under the management of an international school and this had affected public access.

He said the area actually only involved an existing football field of 1,568 square metres in size, which was previously maintained on a basic level by the local authority, before the school applied to build a fence around it complete with facilities worth RM450,000, which they fully funded, while still could be shared by the public.

“The school will only use the field during school hours, from Monday to Friday, 8.30 am to 5 pm, while the public can use it from 5 pm to 10 pm on weekdays and throughout the day on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays,” he also said.

The Tanjung Bunga Residents Association (TBRA) and several non-governmental organisations plan to hold a public protest on Feb 12, following allegations that the public park, including the football field near an international school and the coastal area, had been privatised.

-- BERNAMA